§ Lord Burnhamasked her Majesty's Government:
What are their present plans for the preparation of a separate new tri-Service Armed Forces Discipline Bill; what provisional timetable they envisage for this process; and what steps they plan 34WA to take to keep Parliament and others informed of and consulted in the course of the preparatory process. [HL1582]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanThe Government intend to introduce tri-Service legislation in the 2005–06 session. The opportunity will be taken to review the relevant policies and procedures and to create a legislative framework that is to be capable of meeting the Armed Forces' needs for the foreseeable future.
In its report on the Armed Forces Bill, the Select Committee in another place recommended that the tri-Service Bill should be brought before Parliament within three years. We will examine the scope for accelerating the project, and I confirm that we will keep Parliament in touch with our thinking on that and of progress with the project generally.