§ Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many courts-martial took place in London district for each of the last six years for which figures are available; and, if no figures are available, why not. [HL404]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanFigures are available for the last five years and are shown in the table below. As from 1 April 1997 districts were no longer responsible for arranging courts-martial, and under the Armed Forces Act 1996, the Court-Martial Administration office accepted responsibility for arranging all courts-martial. In June 1998 five new assizes centres were formed within the UK, and three in Germany in August 1998.
Year No. 1995 51 1996 24 1997 24 1998 16 1999 0 Total 115
§ Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
For each of the last five years, how may courts-martial found the accused other than guilty; and, if no figures are available, why not. [HL405]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanOver the period 1995 to 9 November 1999, 235 soldiers have been found other than guilty at courts-martial. The annual breakdown is outlined in the table below.
Year No. 1995 30 1996 40 1997 34 1998 70 1999 61 Total 235
§ Earl Attleeasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many army personnel in London District elected for court-martial trial in each of the last six years for which figures are available; and, if no figures are available, why not. [HL406]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanOver the last six years there have been no records kept that show how many soldiers elect trial by court-martial. Once a soldier elects trial rather than summary dealing, the papers go direct to the Army Prosecuting Authority (APA) with no recorded differentiation between a soldier who elects and one who is forwarded for court-martial by a commanding officer. The APA currently estimate, however, that 5 per cent of all cases are from soldiers who have elected trial by courts-martial. In 1998, the total number of individuals tried by court-martial was 468, and based on an estimate of 5 per cent74WA this would mean that approximately 23 were as a result of election. Work is in hand to ensure that records will be kept in future to reflect the requirement to monitor developments once the Armed Forces Discipline Bill passes into law.