§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the practice of his Department on releasing the names of military personnel who are witnesses to an event which is the subject of a criminal prosecution.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonThe Ministry of Defence seeks to be as helpful as possible in answering requests from the police, prosecuting authorities and legal representatives of defendants in criminal proceedings for the names of service personnel who would be in a position to give evidence as witnesses. The Department needs in each case to be satisfied as to the purpose and validity of the request before providing such information. Personal security considerations may also need to be taken into account.
§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence why the names of witnesses who are alleged to be service 677W personnel have been witheld in the case of a criminal prosecution of three people for an incident which took place involving a convoy of military vehicles near the Clyde submarine base on 15 August 1989.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonI assume that the hon. Member is referring to the recent request from one of those charged as a result of this incident to be given the name of the driver of one of the military vehicles involved. The Department declined to provide this information, as it is not the practice to release details of individual members of military convoy crews in response to requests of this sort.