§ Mr. StinchcombeTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations he plans in relation to the review of services discipline and law announced in the Strategic Defence Review White Paper. [73775]
§ Mr. SpellarIn the Strategic Defence Review White Paper, we announced that we believed that there would be advantages to be gained from having a single tri-Service Act governing discipline in the Armed Forces.
Clearly, all three Services will be heavily involved in the project and there will be extensive consultation with them as work proceeds. Furthermore, as Service law frequently mirrors the civilian criminal law, it will be necessary to involve other Government departments with an interest in our proposals.
However, this project will be a substantial undertaking and it will be some time before the nature of the changes, and hence the scope for wider consultation, are determined.