Written question asked by Robert Key (Conservative) on Monday, 29 January 2001, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 6 February 2001. It was answered by Lord Spellar (Labour) on Tuesday, 6 February 2001 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Ministry of Defence

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many officers received legal training in 2000; how long this training took; what it cost; and who the trainers were. - Inc figures. (Holding answer 5 February 2001).

Answer: Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers received legal training in 2000; how long this training took; what it cost; and who the trainers were. [148202] Mr. Spellar: [holding answer 5 February 2001]: All Service lawyers undertook Continuous Professional Development during the year. The Royal Navy, unlike the Army and the Royal Air Force, selects officers from within the Service to receive professional legal training. This is provided by the College of Law and the Inns of Court School of Law, with pupillage in chambers. There are seven officers currently undergoing this training, whose course fees and supporting material are costing a total of approximately £34,000 for the current financial year. In addition, officers received training from a variety of internal and external sources in relation to the new procedures brought in by the Armed Forces Discipline Act 2000 as well as more general training to enable them to understand the legal aspects of their administrative and command functions. It is not possible to provide details of the associated lengths of training, the costs and the trainers, since this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary information