HC Deb 06 November 1989 vol 159 c478W
Mr. Mallon

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will give details for each of the years from 1980 to 30 September 1989 of(a) full-time members and (b) part-time members of the Ulster Defence Regiment serving in Northern Ireland who have (i) voluntarily resigned having been involved in an offence, (ii) been discharged having been convicted of an offence and (iii) had their engagements terminated following the commission of an offence, but before trial; and what was the nature of the offence in each case.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

I am afraid that information dealing with the period prior to 1985 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The following information covers both the permanent cadre and the part-time element of the UDR:

  1. (i) voluntary resignations having been involved in an offence 16
  2. (ii) discharges having been convicted and awarded custodial sentences, including suspended sentences 54
  3. (iii) it is not our policy to terminate an individual's engagement before he has been tried and convicted of an offence, although there were three cases where the individuals did not apply to re-engage when their current engagements terminated while they were under investigation or on remand.

Information on the nature of each offence is not readily available.