I want to write to Lord Boyce
Lord Boyce: ...the pernicious effect that “lawfare” can have on the fighting efficiency and morale of our Armed Forces. However, there are aspects of this Bill that could be improved, such as the way that allegations of torture should be handled and the Government’s proposed six-year limit on service people bringing civil claims, which means, in effect, that service personnel will have fewer rights...
Lord Boyce: ...will be aware of the growing concern within the Armed Forces regarding Crown immunity, or lack of it, in warfare situations—a concern fuelled by the large number of cases being investigated of alleged inappropriate behaviour in the field in Iraq or Afghanistan, or accusations of the use of allegedly inappropriate equipment which overlook the precept in war that you have to fight with...
Lord Boyce: .... Courts martial are not the same as courts in the civil sector. Service environments are very different and we must have people on the panel who understand the circumstances in which a person is alleged to have done something wrong.
Lord Boyce: ..., of the progress of the case? The regulations should explicitly require the Director of Service Prosecutions to be notified of relevant information such as the operational context within which the alleged incident occurred. I recognise that the Minister mentioned this, but I was not quite sure from his introduction that the point would be driven hard in the supporting regulations. On the...
Lord Boyce: ...is carried out within the Armed Forces purely for the benefit of satisfying public morals, if you like. It is equally important that those in the Armed Forces see that justice is done. If there are alleged incidents or cases are brought forward, the people serving in the units want to know that those are properly sorted out. So I have no difficulty at all with a prosecution being brought...