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Armed Forces Bill

My Lords, the amendment once again raises issues such as extraordinary rendition, as well as international obligations. In the context of the Bill and the debate in Committee, however, the concern relates particularly to the responsibilities of commanding officers. I do not intend to add to what my noble friend Lord Triesman said on extraordinary rendition in general in the debate on 18 July. Nor do I wish to add to what was said more recently, on 18 October, by my noble friend Lady Scotland. She made it clear, in the context of the Police and Criminal Justice Bill, that the Government are more than satisfied that the police already have sufficient legal powers. They are able to react to any intelligence suggesting that any offence under either UK domestic law or our international obligations is being committed when foreign aircraft transit through our jurisdiction, including our military airfields. I am afraid that Amendment No. 69 does not add anything to the law as it stands. As I have said, there are already sufficient legal powers to react to any intelligence that an offence is being committed. Any regulations that might be made under the proposed clause would not add to those powers. Propose subsection (2) of the amendment, again, adds nothing. Of course commanding officers, like anyone else, must not become parties to crime. We do not consider that there are any other international obligations which this clause could be referring to. I hope that what I have said adds to the debate and reassures noble Lords that this amendment is neither necessary nor desirable. There is already sufficient provision in domestic law to cover their concerns. I hope that, having raised the matter once more, the noble Lord feels able to withdraw the amendment.