HC Deb 26 February 2001 vol 363 c568W
Mr. Key

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what circumstances contractors working for his Department are subject to the Service Discipline Acts. [148204]

Mr. Spellar

[holding answer 5 February 2001]: Contractors working for the Ministry of Defence may be subject to the Service Discipline Acts in two instances. The first is where a contractor is authorised by the Defence Council to be attached to or to accompany British Forces not on active service outside the United Kingdom for the purposes of his profession or employment. The other case is in the rare event of members of the regular Armed Forces being on active service, either in the UK or overseas. In this instance, a contractor employed in the service of those forces, or accompanying them, would automatically be subject to Service Law.