§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving soldiers sentenced to imprisonment or detention in the last 10 years have been(a) discharged and (b) retained. [48362]
§ Mr. Doug Henderson[holding answer 8 July 1998]: Details of those discharged and retained following the imposition of a custodial sentence are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances the Army Board may decide to discharge a soldier serving a term of imprisonment after that soldier has been retained by his commanding officer; what rules would govern such discharges; and how many such decisions have been made in the last 10 years. [48365]
§ Mr. Doug Henderson[holding answer 8 July 1998]: Under the terms of Queen's Regulations for the Army, paragraph 9.404, a soldier is to be discharged if he has been sentenced to a term of imprisonment. Commanding Officers do not have the authority to retain soldiers in such circumstances, though they can make a submission to the chain of command for a soldier's retention if there are believed to be exceptional reasons for doing so. It is not required that the Army Board consider these cases, although the Board will adjudicate when the chain of command submits a case to them.