Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make posthumous pardons available under the Policing and Crime Act 2017 to armed forces personnel convicted of sexual offences that have now been abolished.
Answered by Baroness Goldie - Shadow Minister (Defence)
Primary legislation will be required in order to add to the list of Service disciplinary offences set out in the Policing and Crime Act 2017. We will continue to consider finding Parliamentary time for this.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will fulfil their commitment to make posthumous pardons available to former army personnel convicted of crimes involving homosexual conduct under laws that have since been repealed.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
I refer my noble Friend to the answer I gave on 19 January 2017 to Question number HL4522. Primary legislation will be needed to add to the list of Service disciplinary offences set out in the Policing and Crime Act 2017, and we continue to explore how that can be effected.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Earl Howe on 25 October, what is their definition of state actor in relation to security issues; and why they use this term.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In the context of my response to Lord Tebbit in the Chamber on 25 October 2017 (Official Report, column 931), I used the term 'state actors' to mean members or former members of the security forces.
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
Her Majesty's Government how many postal votes were submitted by members of the armed forces abroad at (1) the 2016 EU referendum, and (2) the 2017 general election.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In April 2016 (the nearest available data point to the 2016 EU Referendum) there were 10,500 Service personnel stationed overseas and in April 2017 (the closest data point to the 2017 General Election) there were 9,200. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information to indicate the numbers or percentage of these personnel who were registered to vote or who actually voted. With regard to postal votes, the MOD does not hold data which would give an accurate analysis of the number of ballot papers submitted by Service personnel, as the voter packs processed by the Department also include the dependents of Service personnel, MOD civilian personnel based abroad and the dependents of civilian personnel. In addition, some personnel may have chosen alternative methods of returning their ballot papers.
Registration is a personal matter and personnel are free to decide whether, where and how they register to vote. The MOD works closely with the Electoral Commission to promote awareness among its people of the importance of registering to vote and of the options for doing so. Voter registration campaigns are run yearly within the MOD and the Department has seen a steady rise in the number of Armed Forces personnel who have declared they have registered. The latest version of the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS, 2017) indicates that 96 per cent of Officers and 81 per cent of Other Ranks who completed the AFCAS were registered to vote. Table B22.1 of the AFCAS provides figures on voter registration by Service and by year from 2013. The Surveys can be found on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey-index
Asked by: Lord Lexden (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
Her Majesty's Government how many members of the armed forces were stationed abroad (1) on the date of the 2016 EU referendum, and (2) on the date of the 2017 general election.
Answered by Earl Howe - Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
In April 2016 (the nearest available data point to the 2016 EU Referendum) there were 10,500 Service personnel stationed overseas and in April 2017 (the closest data point to the 2017 General Election) there were 9,200. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information to indicate the numbers or percentage of these personnel who were registered to vote or who actually voted. With regard to postal votes, the MOD does not hold data which would give an accurate analysis of the number of ballot papers submitted by Service personnel, as the voter packs processed by the Department also include the dependents of Service personnel, MOD civilian personnel based abroad and the dependents of civilian personnel. In addition, some personnel may have chosen alternative methods of returning their ballot papers.
Registration is a personal matter and personnel are free to decide whether, where and how they register to vote. The MOD works closely with the Electoral Commission to promote awareness among its people of the importance of registering to vote and of the options for doing so. Voter registration campaigns are run yearly within the MOD and the Department has seen a steady rise in the number of Armed Forces personnel who have declared they have registered. The latest version of the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey (AFCAS, 2017) indicates that 96 per cent of Officers and 81 per cent of Other Ranks who completed the AFCAS were registered to vote. Table B22.1 of the AFCAS provides figures on voter registration by Service and by year from 2013. The Surveys can be found on the Government website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-continuous-attitude-survey-index