§ 26. Mr. Liptonasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he will investigate the circumstances in which a group of scouts from Eltham, Kent, took part in an interrogation exercise with the 43 Army Youth team; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BoydenEleven Royal Eltham Scout Group asked 43 Army Youth Team to take part in this exercise and the officer commanding the Team agreed to do so. The leader of the scout group has since written to thank the Youth Team for the help they gave.
§ Mr. LiptonWas not this exercise rather too brutally realistic if it involved 10 scouts spending four hours in the middle of the night in underground cells where they were grilled and threatened by soldiers? Is it not a fact that one 16-year-old scout fainted at a particularly gruesome stage of the proceedings?
§ Mr. BoydenThe boy referred to was dizzy for a few seconds. When he was 405 told that the exercise was simulated, he recovered very quickly. In fact, the scoutmaster asked for this programme, and it was approved by the district commissioner. The parents of the boys had been notified, and they certified their assent in writing. None of the boys, nor the parents of the boys who took part, has made any complaint, and the sole record is a very warm letter of thanks from the scoutmaster.