Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Public Bodies Review recommended the abolition of the Science Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons.

The Defence Reform programme is establishing robust and streamlined governance, clearer accountabilities, and faster decision-making processes across the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister’s Productive and Agile State initiative to reduce duplication and inefficiency, including through Arm’s length Body (ALB) reform, is an integral part of Defence’s approach to reform.

The closure of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons (SACMILL) is an important step in Defence’s ALB reform journey. The MOD reviewed and recommended the abolition of the SACMILL – an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) – as the function is no longer required by MOD and the focus of advice from SACMILL in recent years has been in relation to Police equipment.

The ALB review recognised an enduring requirement for expert advice on the medical implications of less-lethal weapons by the Home Office (HO). MOD has worked with HO to enable the establishment of an alternative mechanism to provide independent, evidence-based advice. SACMILL will close on 30 November 2025.

The Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons Expert Committee (MILLWEC), an expert committee sponsored by the HO, will provide independent, scientific advice to the HO and other government departments. This will focus on the medical implications, including risk of injury, of less-lethal weapons (for example, TASERs™).

Further details about MILLWEC can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/medical-implications-of-less-lethal-weapons-expert-committee