HC Deb 13 March 1990 vol 169 cc201-2W
Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to require training instructors to dress in the same clothes and carry the same equipment as those they are training.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

No. This would not always be practicable, especially in cases where such a requirement would undermine the effectiveness of the supervision provided by instructors, which is important for safety and other reasons.

Mr. Ashley

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether training instructors have a duty to observe defence council instructions; and if it is an offence to disregard them.

Mr. Archie Hamilton

Defence council instructions are not usually expressed as direct orders and non-compliance with any given instruction is therefore not automatically an offence. However, if a defence council instruction imposes a duty on a training instructor which he fails to carry out or carries out negligently, he can be charged with an offence under the relevant service discipline Act.