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Armed Forces Bill

When we discussed this whole issue with the Minister—the noble Lord, Lord Astor, has mentioned that—reference was continually made to the need to keep the commanding officer informed throughout the process. I note that AmendmentNo. 89 says that the commanding officer is, "““promptly and regularly informed of the progress of the investigation””." But I note that the word ““regularly”” is not mentioned in government Amendment No. 90A, which uses the term, "““as soon as reasonably practicable””." I do not know whether it is constitutional to ask that the word ““regularly”” be inserted after the words, "““as soon as reasonably practicable””," to make certain that the commanding officer is kept informed throughout the process and not merely once the matter has been referred. This is a matter of considerable importance, certainly to commanding officers.