§ Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will appeal the findings of the European Court of Human Rights of 15 June in relation to the cases of Thompson v the United Kingdom, GW v the United Kingdom and Le Petit v the United Kingdom; and [HL3556]
151WA§ What effect the findings by the European Court of Human Rights of 15 June will have on the rules governing the conduct of military discipline. [HL3559]
§ Lord Bach:The cases on which the European Court of Human Rights delivered its judgments on 15 June 2004 relate to proceedings arising in 1996, since when substantial relevant changes to the provisions governing the conduct of military discipline have been made. We are nevertheless considering the judgments carefully to see whether there are implications we need to address.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What guidance is given to commanding officers in relation to administering summary justice in accordance with the Army Act 1955. [HL3557]
§ Lord Bach:The Manual of Military Law is the principal source of guidance for commanding officers in relation to administering summary justice in accordance with the Army Act 1955. It also includes guidance on the Custody and Summary Dealing (Army) Regulations 2000 and the Summary Appeal Court (Army) Rules 2000. Training on service discipline matters is provided throughout an officer's career. Commanding officers, wherever they serve, have direct access to Army Legal Service officers at divisional level for advice.