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589 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)I will begin with clause 28. The minor service sentences of reduction in rank or disrating, of forfeiture of a specified term of seniority or all seniority, and of service…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)Clause 21 provides judge advocates with the power to impose post-charge conditions on adult defendants in the court martial or service civilian court, where the defendant is not…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)First, I pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth. She generated this, and now it has come to fruition, so well done. The reality is that there is no Royal…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)If there were criminal proceedings, he would be held to account in the service justice system for up to six months after the case. It is relatively simple. As we know, it is quite…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for Solihull West and Shirley for speaking to amendments 18 and 19. I acknowledge their sentiment, which is to ensure that the information provided to…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)The hon. Member raises a very important point. I will have to come back to him with specific details and statistics on that, and I will write to the Committee. As mentioned…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the hon. Member for North Devon for his views on the Bill, but before providing comment on amendment 6, I will first speak to clause 12. Currently, under section 115 of…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)The purpose of clause 13 is to extend the powers of judge advocates to enable them to issue search warrants, which can include other premises that are occupied or controlled by a…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Clauses 10 and 11, in reality, thicken out the service justice system and align it with the civilian justice system, providing greater freedoms and protections for anybody who is…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 17 will strengthen the duty of commanding officers to report allegations of serious offences to the service police. It removes an existing limitation where a commanding…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Commanding officers should always report an issue if they see one. With this change, they will have to and will be held to account. Question put and agreed to . Clause 17…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 18 gives a commanding officer the power to award a punishment of service detention to a “corporal, bombardier, lance sergeant or lance corporal of Horse in any of His…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)The clauses will enhance the ability of our military police forces and our provost marshals to enact service justice. These measures will make the forces safer, enable them to…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Is the hon. Gentleman talking about a lack of capacity of senior officers to sit on a court martial board, or inefficiency on the court martial board?14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship again, Mr Efford. Defence needs to protect itself from crime with security measures that will deter, detect and defeat criminal…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)As someone goes across the single services and joint staff colleges, there will be different sections where they are trained on administering justice and the rights of a…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)I thank the right hon. Member for Rayleigh and Wickford for tabling amendment 9, which seeks to add retired officers to those who are qualified for court martial membership.…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)Clause 10 places a duty on the Secretary of State for Defence to issue an updated code for victims in the service justice system. The existing armed forces code of practice, which…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fourth sitting)In no way, shape or form am I suggesting that this was fabricated, made up or a lie. What I am trying to say is that context is important. The statistics show that there are 200…14 Apr 2026HANSARDArmed Forces Bill (Fifth sitting)I would like to make a correction to an earlier statement about new clause 12, before I continue to address amendment 9. I would like to clarify a point that arose in the debate…14 Apr 2026