§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what measures he has taken to ensure that non-commissioned officers convicted of child pornography sex offences are debarred from further contact with young soldiers; and if he will make a statement on the particular circumstances of an NCO serving in the Royal Regiment of Wales; [175197]
(2) what steps were taken to inform civilian authorities in (a) Kosovo and (b) Germany following the conviction in 2002 of a Royal Regiment of Wales non-commissioned officer for offences involving child pornography. [175198]
§ Mr. IngramAll personnel convicted of child pornography offences will have details of the charges, and punishment, recorded on their career file and conduct sheet. Subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act, this will be taken into consideration during the selection process, in order to assess an individual's suitability for any particular post.
There is no record of a non-commissioned officer currently serving in, or attached to, the Royal Regiment of Wales being convicted, in 2002, of offences related to child pornography, though a junior NCO attached to RRW was convicted in 2004 as a result of an investigation started in 2002.
813WNo provision exists within the Sexual Offences Act requiring the armed forces to inform other jurisdictions that a sex offender is intending to visit their country; this is a matter for the civil police.