In the latest episode of his "Unreliable Evidence" programme on Radio 4, Clive Anderson and guests discuss "the controversial suggestion that the UK should withdraw from human rights legislation and re-instate 'combat immunity' to protect the British Army from legal action." The programme is available at the link below:

• House of Lords debate on the Queen's Speech: Marshal of the RAF calls for Service Complaints Ombudsman legislation to be cancelled.
• Lord Craig of Radley believes the proposals lessen "the essential ethos of trust up and down the chain of command".
• He regards the reformed service complaints system as a "combat lawfare" issue.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that over a three year period 2012-2014, 260 members of the armed forces tested positive for anabolic steroids as classified as Class C drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Of those, only a tiny number (10) were allowed to continue serving. That's seven a month being booted out for taking steroids.

The deadlines for applying for a proxy or postal vote in the General Election have now passed. But an "emergency proxy vote" can still be applied for in certain circumstances. Details below, courtesy of the Electoral Commission site aboutmyvote.co.uk.

Like all other parties except the SNP, Plaid Cymru's General Election manifesto doesn't say anything about representation for armed forces personnel. But Plaid has firmly supported representation in the past, suggesting that the party may again be prepared to support sensible representative arrangements.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) Manifesto for the Westminster General Election 2015 supports a strong UK defence, with defence spending not falling below 2% of GDP, and argues that the next Strategic Defence and Security Review should ensure that our Armed Forces should be capable of undertaking multiple deployments, whether as part of a multinational force or on our own. It also says that the Military Covenant should be implemented fully "and in an equivalent manner" in all parts of the UK.

But what is the DUP policy on representation for armed forces personnel?

Further to our news about SNP and Lib Dem support for armed forces personnel representation, an analysis of the Labour Party record on this issue is being produced and will be posted here shortly. Readers will be aware of BAFF's political neutrality; more on that point below.

For those who missed it, today's General Election Debate hosted by Forces TV and the Royal United Service Institution is now available to view online here:

The Liberal Democrat Party has for some years supported the cause of representation for armed forces personnel, and formally adopted it as a policy at its 2013 conference, so some British Armed Forces Federation members were surprised to note that it was left out of the party's General Election manifesto. BAFF took this up with the Lib Dems, and has now received confirmation from its defence spokesman that representation remains an official party policy.

Political support for the "right of association" for armed forces personnel has increased in the 8 years since the launch of the British Armed Forces Federation, but remains patchy. We cover in a separate article a new message of support from the Liberal Democrats, and the position of the outgoing coalition government. But only the Scottish National Party (SNP) has made a General Election manifesto commitment to representation for armed forces personnel.