Culture, Media and Sport CommitteeLetter from the Chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee to Colin Myler

On 19 October 2011 Julian Pike, a Partner at Farrer & Co, and Mark Lewis, a Partner at Taylor Hampton Solicitors, gave evidence to the Committee. Their evidence gave rise to further questions that the Committee would like you to answer in writing.

1. Julian Pike referred to a briefing note prepared by Tom Crone for you to use in a meeting with James Murdoch on 27 May 2008 (Q1151). If you still have a copy of that note, please could you submit it to the Committee.

2. Please could you provide the Committee with details of your meeting with James Murdoch on 27 May 2008 (Q 1117), in particular your recollection of:

(a)any discussion that took place about the “for Neville” e-mail, either with specific reference to Neville Thurlbeck or otherwise, and

(b)any discussion that took place about Julian Pike’s assertion that, in the light of the “for Neville” e-mail there was a “powerful case that there was evidence to support illegal accessing of information in order to obtain stories” (Q 1197).

3. Please could you provide the Committee with details of your telephone conversation with Julian Pike of 27 May 2008, in which you gave an account of your meeting with James Murdoch on that day.

4. In the light of Julian Pike’s reference to the briefing note of 24 May 2008 and your meeting with James Murdoch of 27 May 2008, the Committee invites you to reconsider the oral evidence you gave on 6 September, in which you stated that you were first made aware of the “for Neville” e-mail and its significance on 10 June 2008 (Q 745: “Mr Crone came to me in the morning, probably after conference, and explained the situation regarding the evidence presented to us by Mr Taylor’s legal team. It was clearly something that we would need to take to the chief executive. I told him that I did not know whether James Murdoch was available. As it turned out, he was in the country and was in the office that day. My secretary called his office, and, in the mid or late afternoon, Mr Crone swung by my office and we went down to see him”).

I enclose a transcript of the evidence session on 19 October for your reference. The Committee has written in similar terms to Tom Crone.

I would be grateful if you could send your response to the Clerk of the Committee at the above address by no later than noon on Monday 31 October.

24 October 2011