Mr. GamierTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by number and title the actions for defamation brought by or against serving members of Her Majesty's armed forces in each year since 1989 in which the Department has provided all or a contribution to one or both sides' legal costs and damages; and at what total cost in each case.
§ Mr. HanleySince 1989 there has been only one such case. It involved the legal costs of a junior NCO who was the subject of an action for defamation arising from a 643W report he made to the military police about alleged assaults on him by another soldier. The full costs of the case are not yet known.