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Armed Forces Bill

I, too, rise to support what my noble friend Lord Kingsland said, including the fact that this is to some extent a probing amendment. This is a very difficult subject. I remember being involved in the development of the rules of engagement when we were involved in Yugoslavia. This included cards—I seem to remember that they were, perhaps appropriately, yellow in those days—and getting the exact wording right. The card is what is handed to the soldier, who is likely to find himself in the law court, but behind it lie much more complex rules of engagement, to which the noble Earl, Lord Attlee, rightly referred. It would greatly assist our future debates on this matter if the Minister would either put at least some of the rules of engagement into the Library or write to us with copies of them, for use with appropriate discretion if necessary. I hope that it is not necessary—I hope that he can put them into the Library—but if he cannot, surely we can at least be provided with them in sufficient detail so that we can all apply our minds to the very difficult questions that can arise. It is essential that each serviceman should be provided with the guidance and protection that he needs. It should be remembered that the rules of engagement on the card with which he is provided will almost inevitably require him to judge whether his life is in danger and possibly to justify that at some point. It may be necessary and right that he should do so. I can see difficulties in putting the requirements on to the statute book, but it is well worth trying to do so. At the heart of the Bill is a system of military law that applies to all the services and which provides them with a proper framework of law and a proper court framework, which is largely the court-marshal framework, but which does not divorce them from their position as civilians—or at least as citizens—and that is part of the normal framework of the law so far as possible. The rules of engagement are a very important part of this, and we have a good deal more exploring to do, but I commend the amendment as a good start.