The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons has been closed, with its advisory role transferred to a Home Office body, according to a written parliamentary answer.
Responding to a question from Green Party MP Siân Berry, defence minister Luke Pollard said the decision forms part of a wider review of government arm’s length bodies. He stated that “the Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of the entire Arm’s Length Body landscape”, describing it as a core element of efforts to create a more agile state.
Pollard said that the closure of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons, known as SACMILL, had already been agreed and implemented. He told Parliament that “the closure of the Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less Lethal Weapons is an important step in Defence’s ALB reform journey”.
According to the minister, the decision was approved through a ministerial write-round and formally announced on GOV.UK on 30 November 2025. Pollard did not give a date for publication of the outcome or recommendations of the review originally referenced in earlier parliamentary questions.
Instead, he confirmed that responsibility for providing independent medical advice on the use of less-lethal weapons has moved outside the Ministry of Defence. Pollard said that “the provision of independent medical advice on the use of less lethal weapons will now be delivered by MILLWEC, as established by the Home Office”.
Just what exactly is this supposed to achieve, and how will this ensure that those on the front-line are fully equipped to survive this type of weapon – or is this just a cost-saving trick ?
Do you not like cost saving?
Exactly what were they considering? Being attacked by someone with a wet lettuce leaf might affect the mental well-being of everyone invoived?
I wonder how long this thing had been running?
I also don’t think that this will convince anyone that they are on a war footing (lethal or otherwise).
Lol.
To be fair, Non Lethal Weapons have been around for decades, such as Microwaves, mind control, weather altering, sound weapons, and on and on.
The Soviets were hitting the Moscow embassy of the US in the 80s and apparently the US was using them at Waco.
In the UK, a family in Kent was bombarded with something in the 80s as well.
Sort of makes sense that the Home Office, so the Police, deal with this
Otherwise, agree. Knowing this lot, it was probably a high priority.
Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons was setup in 2009 and ran unchanged through 14 years of conservative rule so. Which lot again?
Honest criticism is fine but random jibes and pointless incorrect comments are just so Trumpian these days.
I know that you actually care about the truth from lots of posts so this sort of comment hurts more than the really really dumb ones on here.
I think you’ve missed the point of my last paragraph, Redshift.
That’s exactly it, it was left as is, so much so that I’d never heard of it, whoever was in charge.
This government have certain priorities, such as the tweet from Starmer the other day highlighting the high priority ( see the wording I also used ) in getting an anti Jewish anti white “peace activist” here. A bizzare situation that most would either be repelled by, or, if he was simply a nice guy fighting the Egyptian regime, not register on Brits radar with do many other things vexing the nation.
That was my point, this is the sort of not vital thing, left for so long, that this government will do something with, while the military continue to deminish, the overwhelming priority that has so much rhetoric.
Yet this, boom. Done.
Don’t let it hurt you, there is never an intent for that.
I personally prefer the “really really dumb ones” to the really really stupid troll type ones from the really really pointless hit and run ones.
Sadly, I’m a hurtful one now.
Like water off a ducks back isn’t it mate ?
Last week saw a glut of “Snipers” all with the exact same style and glaringly obvious “aims”.
How sad.
Daniele, this committee would surely also be looking at developments in plastic bullets for riot control, CS gas, tasers etc.
Hi Graham.
Exactly, as said, the Home Office seems more apt for this.
Though there are military applications.
Something else that strikes me, and me going off on a tangent again though sort of related, the HOSDB Home Office Science and Development Branch sites at Sandridge and Langhurst both closed and moved the other way into the MoD and DSTL.
They dealt with stuff like surveillance kit, high security fencing types, and so on, and had in more recent times rebranded themselves as CAST Centre for Advanced Science and Technology.
Musical chairs, one moves one way, the other in the opposite direction, and where have we actually advanced or improved???
My point above until I offended.
To clarify- this committee was mostly concerned with things like tasers for police use- not novel Russian rayguns. It is odd that it would be moving to the Home Office, given that CAST was previously taken out of the Home Office and moved to Dstl (i.e. MOD).
Lol.
Sorry Ian, I have just posted above to Graham covering a point I see you’ve already made!
CAST, HOSDB.
It doesn’t hurt to reiterate, given how many people seem to have got the wrong end of the stick.
Though of course, for me the only reason that CAST moved into DSTL was so they could close Langhurst and Sandridge, there for decades, and stick CAST into the DSTL Porton site thus saving money.
When is it ever different?
The S&T resource available at Dstl offers some potential advantages, but yes, ‘rationalising’ sites generally seems to be the main motivation.