Baroness Smith of Newnham (LD)

Clearly, it was only I who was not listening sufficiently closely, but I understood it as being the Armed Forces commissioner rather than the next Armed Forces Bill. However, I will probably have to not move Amendment 10 at a later point in proceedings. However, the amendment has elicited a fascinating debate that allowed us to explore certain aspects of the recruitment process and, as the noble Lord, Lord Lancaster, pointed out, the group that sounds similar to, but has a different role from, that of the recruit trainees. I should very much like the opportunity outside Committee to talk further with the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, and the Minister, because my sense from the debate was there may well be some value in thinking about making it clear that that part of the role of the Armed Forces commissioner would indeed be to pay particular attention to the situation of recruit trainees, for example. I realise the noble Lord, Lord Lancaster, said, “Ah but we must make sure that we do not overwhelm the Armed Forces commissioner”, and I completely understand that. The role as stated in the Bill is not just to be the ombudsperson with a different name; it is also clearly to be about promoting the welfare of persons subject to service law. The noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, made a strong case for looking closely at how recruit trainees are being looked after. So I may wish to bring back an amended amendment, or a different amendment, on Report. For the moment, I beg leave to withdraw.