§ Mr. BluntTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances his Department will initiate a prosecution against a serviceman who disobeys an order not to speak to the media. [23736]
§ Mr. George RobertsonI refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 12 January 1998,Official Report, column 4, in which I explained the function and status of the Army Prosecuting Authority. The Prosecuting Authorities of all three Services operate in the same manner.
The decision whether to prosecute or not will depend on the specific circumstances of each case after an assessment has been made of all the pertinent legal, evidential and procedural issues. It is not possible to specify any particular circumstances which would apply.