Director of Service Prosecutions

Tuesday 8th October 2013 Written Statements

[The Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Philip Hammond)]

Under section 364 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 the Director of Service Prosecutions is appointed by Her Majesty the Queen. The term of the current incumbent, Bruce Houlder QC, comes to an end on 30 November.

I can inform the House that Her Majesty has appointed Andrew Cayley QC to succeed Mr Houlder as Director of Service Prosecutions. Mr Cayley is a former British Army officer who was until recently the International Co-prosecutor of the Khmer Rouge Tribunal in Cambodia, nominated by the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

I should also like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to Mr Houlder. As the first Director of Service Prosecutions he faced the significant and challenging task of creating a single organisation—the Service Prosecuting Authority (SPA)—from the three single-service prosecuting authorities. Mr Houlder, a highly respected member of the Bar, has demonstrated, through his commitment and professionalism, that the decisions to establish an independent tri-service prosecuting authority and to appoint a civilian to lead it were the right ones. Under his leadership, the SPA has become securely established as a respected independent prosecution service, underpinning the operational effectiveness of the armed forces, and instilling continued confidence in the service justice system. As he hands over his responsibilities to Mr Cayley, I would like to express my personal gratitude for the important contribution he has made, including his agreement to stay in post for some extra months to ensure a smooth handover to his successor.