Lance Corporal William Graham (Hansard, 14 June 2004)

§ Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) on what date Lance Corporal William Graham of the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment was released from prison; on what date he resumed military duties; and what duties he has performed since January; [175969]

(2) what factors underlay the decision to retain Lance Corporal William Graham as a member of the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment following his conviction and imprisonment; [175970]

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(3) what payments were made to Lance Corporal William Graham of the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment between the date of his criminal conviction to the date of his release from prison; [175971]

(4) what measures were taken by the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment to retrain Lance Corporal William Graham in the use of firearms following his release from prison; [175972]

(5) what role Lance Corporal William Graham of the 1^st Battalion of the Royal Scots Regiment played in the parade of honour and other public events at (a) Linlithgow, (b) Peebles, (c) Haddington, (d) Penicuik and (e) elsewhere in April. [175975]

§ Mr. Ingram

Lance Corporal Graham was released from prison on 9 January 2004. He resumed military duties on 10 January 2004. The Queen's Regulations for the Army define the exceptional reasons which would make the retention of a soldier desirable if he has been sentenced by a civil court or by court-martial to imprisonment, detention or any other form of custodial sentence. Where there are circumstances that make retention of a soldier desirable then the case is to be submitted with valid and explicit reasons to the Director of Manning (Army) Ministry of Defence for a decision. The circumstances will vary from case to case. From the date of his criminal conviction to the date of his release from prison LCpl Graham did not receive payment.

In common with all personnel in Regular Army and TA Units, LCpl Graham must complete his personal weapon training and pass his personal weapon and weapon handling tests.

LCpl Graham did not take part in any parade in April.

I am withholding personal data relating to LCpl Graham under Exemption 12 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, unless the relevant conditions are met.