§ Mr. Chris Smithasked the Secretary of State for Defence if he has any intention to bring forward legislation to extend the provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 1967 to members of the armed forces.
§ Mr. LeeNo. Service life is often in largely single gender communities and in conditions in which it is important to prevent abuse of authority. These circumstances have been considered by successive Governments to be sufficiently different from civil life to justify the continuing proscription of homosexuals in the Armed Forces. Parliament reaffirmed this position during the passage of the Armed Forces Act 1981. There has been no subsequent change of policy.