asked the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the security forces have been charged in the civil courts in Northern Ireland from 1st January 1976 till 31st October 1976; and what were the charges.

I regret that information on the number of members of the security forces charged in the civil courts is not available, but, during this period, directions to prosecute 456 members of the Army, including the Ulster Defence Regiment, have been given by the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland, in respect of the following offences: