Election of Chair and Call for Evidence

Call for Evidence

Written evidence is invited from interested parties on the provisions of the Armed Forces Bill.  The Select Committee is working to a tight timetable and it would therefore be helpful to receive these written memoranda by Tuesday 15 February 2011 at the latest.  The Committee will also invite certain bodies to give oral evidence.  Organisations who wish to be considered as potential oral witnesses are asked to contact the Clerk as soon as possible.

Submission of writer evidence should:

• If possible, be provided electronically in MS Word or Rich Text format by e-mail to afbcom@parliament.uk. If submitted by e-mail or e-mail attachment, a letter should also be sent validating the e-mail. The letterhead should contain your full postal address and contact details. If you have any queries on the submission of evidence contact Georgina Holmes-Skelton, Clerk, tel: 0207 219 4453, email: holmesskeltong@parliament.uk
• Begin with a one page summary if it is longer than six pages
• Have numbered paragraphs
• Avoid the use of colour or expensive-to-print material.

Submissions can also be sent by post to Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill, House of Commons, London, SW1A 0AA.

Individuals and organisations interested in submitting written evidence to the Committee may find the Commons: Guide for Witnesses particularly useful.

Please also note that:

• Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission, but may be referred to within written evidence, in which case a hard copy of the published work should be included. If a number of published documents are sent to accompany written evidence, these should be listed in the covering email.
• Written evidence submitted must be kept confidential until published by the Committee, unless publication by the person or organization submitting it is specifically authorised.
• Once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by making it available through the Parliamentary Record Office. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.
• It would be helpful, for Data Protection purposes, if individuals wishing to submit written evidence send their contact details separately in a covering letter. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
• Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.

Further information

Committee Membership is as follows:

Mr James Arbuthnot (Con, North East Hampshire), Alex Cunningham (Lab, Stockton North), Thomas Docherty (Lab, Dunfermline and West Fife), Gemma Doyle (Lab/Co-op, West Dunbartonshire), Mr Tobias Ellwood (Con, Bournemouth East), Mr Mark Francois (Con, Rayleigh and Wickford), Mr Kevan Jones (Lab, North Durham), Mark Lancaster (Con, Milton Keynes North), Jack Lopresti (Con, Filton and Bradley Stoke), Sandra Osborne (Lab, Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock), Christopher Pincher (Con, Tamworth), Mr Andrew Robathan (Con, South Leicestershire), Bob Russell (Lib-Dem, Colchester), David Wright (Lab, Telford)

Specific Committee Information: afbcom@parliament.uk 020 7219 5745

Media Enquiries: Alex Paterson patersona@parliament.uk 020 7219 1589 / 07917 488 488

Committee Website: www.parliament.uk/afbcom

Watch committees and parliamentary debates online: www.parliamentlive.tv

Publications / Reports / Reference Material: Copies of all select committee reports are available from the Parliamentary Bookshop (12 Bridge St, Westminster, 020 7219 3890) or the Stationery Office (0845 7023474). Committee reports, press releases, evidence transcripts, Bills; research papers, a directory of MPs, plus Hansard (from 8am daily) and much more, can be found on www.parliament.uk