---

Armed Forces Bill

My Lords, I am particularly anxious to get at least into the proceedings of the House, if not into the Bill, the last fourwords—““made in good faith””—in proposed new subsection (2) of Amendment No. 32, in my name and that of the noble Lord, Lord Campbell of Alloway. Noble Lords will realise that it is absolutely essential—this has been said many times, most recently by the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland—for a solder in an operational situation to have confidence in everything around him. He must have confidence in his chain of command, confidence that if he is wounded he will receive immediate and first-rate medical attention, and confidence that, if he is brought into a situation where he is required to take action that may result in killing someone or opening fire on people but where he acts in good faith under the orders that he has been given, he will be dealt with fairly and consistently under the law by that chain of command. It is very difficult to describe ““good faith”” absolutely and precisely. In the same way, I am very grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, for the way in which he described not the prescriptive nature of rules of engagement but the rules of engagement as a framework, whose statutory force, which again is not prescribed, is essential in order that our Armed Forces can have confidence that, if they act in good faith within that framework, they need not fear anything from the chain of command—or the legal chain of command, as it were—that goes with it. That is why I am pleased that the amendments in the name of the noble Lord, Lord Kingsland, stand with Amendment No. 32.