Armed Forces (Alignment of Service Discipline Acts) (No. 2) Order 2008

I thank noble Lords for their contribution. The number of orders has risen, as stated, from 65 to almost 80. That some existing statutory instruments require updating to be brought into line with the terminology of the Armed Forces Act 2006 is the reason for the majority of the extra orders. The noble Lord, Lord Astor, asked the reason for the delay. I have some personal experience of large projects and they are extraordinarily difficult to estimate. I do not think that we would be served by much more analysis of the delay. Frequently, the complexity comes only when you get into the detail. I am sure that the noble Lord will agree that this is a process that we all saw as having to be thorough. We did not want to go into it with any glitches, and we wanted the Armed Forces to go into it with the right people and the right training. The delay will allow for that. When a project is delayed, one has a choice: ““Do I do it slowly and thoroughly, or a bit more quickly to achieve timetable?”” This is an area where slowly—or, rather, with all due speed—and thoroughly is right. I was asked whether the order will result in more swift delivery of justice. I do not yet have a note on that, so I shall write to noble Lords. I return to the matter of the director of service prosecutions not being a former officer, about which I know the House was concerned. Having looked at what has happened, I am seized of the thoroughness of the induction. Perhaps I may read a letter from the DSP to Vice Admiral Wilkinson, who is Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel), about his induction. The DSP said: "““The induction that I have received over the last 6 months culminating in a visit to Afghanistan and Iraq has been most valuable. In the course of these months, alongside the work I have been doing towards setting up the new overarching prosecuting authority, I have seen just about every aspect of service life that will be relevant to my role, and responsibility towards discipline and prosecutions. … All three services have offered me the greatest help and support towards gaining an understanding of the clear context in which I will be taking future decisions. These will bear not only on the lives of servicemen and their families, but also of the victims where criminal offences occur. … I have tried to reassure COs wherever I have gone, that whilst I clearly have my job to do, I am also here to support the operational effectiveness of HM Armed Forces. … This requires me to understand the context in which actions and decisions are performed and made””." I can assure the Committee that the Armed Forces are making every effort to induct him properly and I have every confidence that he will lead his new unit with distinction. I cannot emphasise enough how officials have stressed to me the importance of doing the training and getting the documentation right before the 2006 Act goes live. I have no note on swiftness and so I shall write. On Question, Motion agreed to.