Elfyn Llwyd MP has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) about Veterans in the Criminal Justice System:

Servicemen and women returning from active combat abroad should have access to "decompression" advice to tackle problems in readjusting to civilian life and to stem the rising numbers of veterans entering the criminal justice system, according to a group of MPs and unions, reported in The Guardian 05 Jul 2010:

The Ministry of Defence announces (02 Jul 2010) that ten years after the ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces was lifted, the first Quad Service Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) conference is being held at the MoD's Main Building in London today. Welcome as this is, it is seen as being in stark contrast to the Ministry's ambivalent attitude to the armed forces federation, which individual personnel of any rank are permitted to join, but (unlike other businesses and support organisations) is still being denied MoD permission to visit bases and circulate information material with the willing permission of commanding officers.

Below is a Press Release issued by Mrs Catherine Smith's solicitors following the Supreme Court's decision issued on 30 Jun 2010 about whether soldiers on service abroad are entitled to any of the protections of the Human Rights Act and the European Convention of Human Rights:

The courts have decreed in a number of cases, such as the Afghan detainee case only last week, that insurgents and criminals detained by British forces in Iraq or Afghanistan are covered by the Human Rights Act. Now the UK Supreme Court has determined in the Pte Jason Smith case by a majority of 6 votes to 3 that the jurisdiction of the Act does not extend to British forces personnel on overseas missions. Part of the reasoning for that decision is that all British armed forces personnel, including compulsorily mobilised personnel like Scottish TA soldier Jason Smith, are volunteers. Giving his initial reaction to the Supreme Court's judgement issued today 30 Jun 2010, BAFF Chairman Douglas Young said that:

On a visit to HMS Ark Royal, Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged his support for the Armed Forces by announcing that the military covenant will be given the force of law in forthcoming Armed Forces legislation.

The Guardian reports (08 Jun 2010) that the head of the army during the invasion of Iraq, giving evidence at the Baha Mousa Inquiry, has delivered a withering attack on the commander of the regiment in whose custody a civilian was beaten to death:

According to a report in The Guardian newspaper, a spokeswoman for the English Defence League (EDL) has claimed majority support amongst the armed forces:

The German Radar Commission Report concluded that during the operation, maintenance and repair of radar units operated by the Bundeswehr and the former DDR's Nationale Volksarmee (NVA), exposures to ionizing radiation and high-frequency radiation can occur and that this ionizing radiation arises from stray sources such as component parts and electron tubes, in some cases resulting in serious health problems. The report was first published in 2003, but an English translation of its summary has only recently been produced, and has been circulated by EUROMIL to its member and observer associations, including BAFF.

One test for the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government could be how it approaches the human rights of armed forces personnel. Some commentators distrust the whole idea of human rights behind the barrack gates, or while deployed: 'You can't have human rights in the heat of battle'.

BAFF understands that around 760 service personnel in Afghanistan used the special Op Herrick service voter registration form to register to vote. Of these, some 500 applied for a proxy vote and some 260 applied for a postal vote.

An electoral official who is closely involved in national arrangements for troops voting from Afghanistan, and who has a significant number of service personnel and families in his own local area, has supplied figures on the number of service voters in Afghanistan who registered under the special arrangements and have successfully voted by post in the 2010 General Election.

(6 May 2010) The Lancashire Post has a story 'Troops to have say electronically' [broken link] which is widely understood to mean that British troops in Afghanistan have been given the chance to vote electronically in today's General Election. We do not believe that such a thing has happened, however. We think the story is prompted by the fact that the final batch of specially-adapted service voter registration forms (which incorporate postal or proxy voting applications) were delayed in Afghanistan due to the volcanic dust cloud and that the Ministry of Defence, acting in consultation with the Ministry of Justice, Electoral Commission and local electoral officials, arranged for these registration forms to be transmitted electronically to electoral registration offices across the country.

With polling day almost upon us, BAFF has received several enquiries about the attitude of the competing political parties to the principle of a representative professional staff association for the armed forces. Based on responses to our representations during the last Parliament about statutory recognition of that principle, we can confirm that it has official support from the following parties:

A major article for BBC News (30 Apr 2010) reports that for the families of servicemen and women, the war in Afghanistan casts a long shadow over their lives - and how they will cast their vote.

(Apr 2010)  BAFF launched in September 2008 its ongoing campaign for statutory recognition of a staff association for armed forces personnel. This was followed by a successful parliamentary reception in May, 2009. By request, we will publish a representative selection of the replies from MPs to the letter below. Also available:  BFBS Forces Radio interview about launch of recognition campaign 26/09/08.

The Reading Post reports (27 Apr 2010) that Lib Dem parliamentary candidate Daisy Benson has joined forces with a service wife to campaign for fairer votes for forces personnel overseas.

The Times reports (26 Apr 2010) that tens of thousands of people living overseas may have lost their chance to vote in the General Election because of the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud - but an exception was made for the final batch of applications from British soldiers in Afghanistan.

"I cannot emphasise enough the importance of dealing with your postal ballot papers as soon as you get them, following the instructions and getting them back in the post or despatched under local arrangements as quickly as you possibly can."  BAFF's Douglas Young, a member of the consultative Service Voting Working Group* established by the Ministry of Justice, updated the unofficial Army Rumour Service website on 21 Apr 2010 about the impact of the volcano ash situation upon voting arrangements for British military voters overseas:

The Independent reports (09 Apr 2010) that thousands of British military personnel based in Afghanistan have been disenfranchised in the general election because they have not been registered and there remain massive problems in getting their postal votes back in time. The paper says that only around 65 per cent of the 9,500-strong UK force in the country are registered to vote and many of these will have to be brought back from frontline bases in Helmand which are under daily Taliban fire.

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Arrangements for Personnel in Afghanistan

4. A Working Group comprising MOD, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Electoral Commission officials
has been considering ways to make it easier for Service personnel who will be in Afghanistan at the
time of the General Election to vote by post if that is their choice. An additional Service Voting and
registration campaign will be run for those who will be in Afghanistan during the election period.
5. Arrangements are in hand to improve the existing process through quicker delivery of ballots to
enable Service personnel in Afghanistan to receive and return their postal votes within the constraints
of the electoral timeframe. This involves using a facility to sort and pack ballot papers for airfreight to
units/individuals serving in Afghanistan and, on their return, for the sorting and distribution of sealed
postal ballots to the returning officers in constituencies around the UK. Units will be required to
facilitate arrangements for Service personnel to cast their vote in theatre and to ensure enveloped
ballot papers are collected and packaged for airfreight for their return to the UK.
6. However, this scheme will not work for every Service person in Afghanistan and due to the tight
electoral timeframe, electoral timeframes and operational priorities, success cannot be guaranteed.
Service personnel are therefore still encouraged to register to vote by proxy.
7. In the meantime, work with the Ministry of justice continues to explore ways of improving voting
arrangements for overseas voters and, for the longer term, to pursue their efforts to identify a
comprehensive solution.
Question and Answer Brief
What are you doing to enable Service personnel to vote in the forthcoming General Election?
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is responsible the electoral process. MOD and the Electoral Commission
conduct extensive information campaigns annually, coinciding with the autumn household canvass,
to encourage Service personnel to register to vote. The latest campaign emphasised the importance
of registration in view of this year's General Election. We will be running further reminders during the
period leading up to the Election.
How does proxy voting work? Surely this isn't a secure process?
Voting by proxy can be particularly useful if you are overseas in a country too far away to send back
a postal vote in time for the election. It means that you appoint someone you trust to vote on your
behalf. We advise Service personnel and their families abroad to vote by proxy.
What arrangements are you making to enable Service personnel serving in Afghanistan to
vote?
MOD has been working with MoJ and the Electoral Commission to devise a scheme which would
deliver ballot papers to and from Afghanistan in time for them to be counted. This involves using a
facility to sort and pack ballot papers for airfreight to units/individuals serving in Camp Bastion,
Kandahar or Kabul and, on their return, for the sorting and distribution of sealed postal ballots to the
Returning Officers in constituencies around the UK. Units will be required to facilitate arrangements
for Service personnel to cast their vote in theatre and to ensure enveloped ballot papers are collected
and packaged for airfreight for their return to the UK. Nonetheless, operational priorities prevail so we
cannot guarantee this scheme will work for every Service person in Afghanistan.
I read somewhere that there might be problems with postal votes going to and coming back
from Afghanistan - are you going to run any special flights?
The electoral time frame is particularly tight. We are not providing any special or additional flights -
see response above to 'What arrangements are you making to enable Service personnel serving in
Afghanistan to vote?'.
Are you making any special arrangements to enable other Service personnel based overseas
(for example in Germany, Cyprus and the Falklands) to be able to vote by post?
MoJ continue their endeavours to examine how postal voting arrangements for families in Germany
can be improved as well as those for personnel and families in other overseas locations - they aim to
identify a comprehensive solution for the next Parliament.
Why are Service personnel in Afghanistan getting special treatment?
These arrangements recognise the specific operational circumstances of our personnel serving in
Afghanistan. This work will help to develop potential longer term solutions for our wider Service
community living and serving overseas.

In a survey carried out by the Ministry of Defence after the 2005 General Election, 60% of  a random sample of service personnel said they were registered to vote and 13% did not know whether they were or not.

Of those who were NOT registered, 42% claimed they had not received a form. 25% were "not interested in voting", 23%"did not know how to register" and 15% intended to but did not get round to it.

The Sunday Times reports (04 April 2010) that [name omitted] returned from Iraq with a distinguished war record — and ended up in prison. The newspaper says that our jails are swollen with former soldiers: why can’t they stay out of trouble? The figures, previously mentioned on the BAFF website, remain controversial.

(31 Mar 2010) With a General Election expected to be called soon, Service Personnel are being encouraged to exercise their right to vote, deployed personnel being recommended to appoint a proxy if possible. For those who are likely to be in Afghanistan during the General Election,

The Minister of State at the Ministry of Justice, Michael Wills MP, had more to say in Parliament on 23 Mar 2010 about the 'bespoke' arrangements for service personnel in Afghanistan to vote by post if they prefer. MPs also heard about ongoing consultations (which include BAFF) regarding future voting arrangements for service personnel, and the Conservatives confirmed that they would co-operate in that exercise in a cross-party way.

The Ministry of Defence issued the following response on 22 Mar 2010 to media articles such as Weakness in postal voting may disenfranchise thousands of troops (Sunday Times)

Votes for Service personnel

There is speculation in the media that due to time and logistical restraints not all Service personnel will be able to vote in the upcoming General Election. An MOD spokesperson said: "We have had successful campaigns getting Service voters to register and we are working closely with the Ministry of Justice to make suitable provisions for Service personnel in Afghanistan - including fast-tracking postal voting forms. However, due to operational priorities, no plan we can put in place will be infallible but personnel still have the option of voting by proxy."

Peter Oborne writes in The Daily Mail (20 March 2010) that:

In fact, only a relatively small percentage of the Armed Forces voted in the 2005 General Election.

Now, with a General Election barely seven weeks away, the same thing seems likely to happen again.

Disgracefully, Labour ministers were warned that the law discriminated against servicemen and women. Douglas Young, of the British Armed Forces Federation, published a brilliant document called Silence in the Ranks, which revealed the scale of the problem.

(15 March 2010) On the same day as The Daily Telegraph reports that Army training exercises have been cut by a third to save money, The Times reports that a mother’s battle to ensure that soldiers in war zones have their human rights protected will be challenged by the Government today, claiming that commanders will fear being sued for decisions made in the heat of battle.

BAFF representation in Service Voting Working Group

(11 March 2010) The three Service Family Federations and the British Armed Forces Federation are represented in a Minister-led Service Voter Working Group, along with the Ministry of Justice and MoD and the Electoral Commission. The following update is provided courtesy of the Naval Families Federation:

Gordon Brown has been asked in Prime Minister's Questions for assurances that service personnel overseas will be able to vote in the coming General Election.