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organisations and would substantially impair the protection which the security service affords against
terrorist attacks which have in the past claimed so many victims in the UK and elsewhere.”
and then in paragraph four, he deals with various categories and says
“The public interest requires that the following categories of information be protected from
disclosure essentially on two bases: (a) the need to protect the integrity of intelligence operations, (b)
the need to protect the future usefulness of security personnel and their safety.”
and he sets out those categories in paragraph five:
“a. the identities and physical appearance of serving and past members of the security services;
c. all sources of intelligence information;
d. all details of the activities and operations of the security service or other intelligence agencies;
e. any facts which might tend to reveal that.”
In paragraph 6, over the page, in the middle of it, he says, about a third of the way down:
“Where the resources upon which those services rely to gather information are human, the
information is provided in the knowledge that what is imparted is in confidence, and any breach of
confidentiality by the Crown in revealing the identities of those supplying the information would cause
unquantifiable damage. If this position is not maintained, there would be a real and serious danger
that the supply of such information would be less than readily forthcoming and could result in great
danger to those who had supplied or might in future supply it.”
Later on in the certificate, particularly in paragraph 8, it says that he does not object to certain
classes of information being given as evidence in this case but subject to the seven safeguards, the
safeguards being set out in paragraph nine:
“In particular, the evidence and material referred to should be given or produced only in redacted
form so as not to reveal information, disclosure of which would be damaging to national security.
Further that serving or past members of the Security Service called to give evidence should be
permitted to give evidence in such a way that their identity and physical appearance is not
disclosed.”
The effect of what appears there, in my submission, can be looked at under two heads. One is the
operational efficiency and effectiveness of the Security Services in general, and the second is more
specifically the identity of Security Service personnel or persons who have had connections with the
Security Services at sometime or another.
If I might just deal with the position of Mr. E. Your Lordship will have seen the statements that he
has made. He is quite adamant ----
MR. JUSTICE BLOFELD: Who?
THE SOLICITOR GENERAL: Mr. E. Mr. E is quite adamant that he does not want his identity to
be disclosed. He says so in plain terms in the statement. He naturally was dealt with by the Security
Services in confidence.
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