Media ban on serving military staff

His statement came as he accepted the findings of two reports into the capture of a Royal Navy boarding party by Iran earlier this year.

Mr Browne told the House of Commons the operational inquiry by former Commandant of the Royal Marines, Lieutenant General Sir Rob Fulton, had concluded there was no case for disciplinary action against any of the individuals concerned.

Instead, Gen Fulton blamed the "coming together of a series of vulnerabilities" which left the 15 sailors and Royal Marines exposed when their inflatable boarding craft were surrounded by Iranian Revolutionary Guard gunboats. However, he also found that many of those involved could have done more to have prevented the incident and called for improvements in intelligence handling, communications, doctrine and training.

Tony Hall, the chief executive of the Royal Opera House and former BBC director of news, who carried out the inquiry into the decision to allow them to sell their stories following their release, also found no one individual could be held responsible. He said there had been a "collective failure of judgment or an abstention from judgment" within the Ministry of Defence.

The head of the Royal Navy, Admiral Sir Jonathon Band, acknowledged the reputation of the service had been "dented" by what had happened but insisted that it would recover. "The events of March 23 were one bad day in our proud 400 year history. I can assure the British people that I will personally ensure that the recommendations of this (Fulton) report are fully implemented," he told reporters.

The Royal Navy boarding party from the frigate HMS Cornwall was seized after carrying out a routine boarding in the Gulf off Iraq as part of the coalition naval operation. Some of the group were later shown on Iranian television apologising for straying into Iranian territorial waters - something the Government denied happened - and then effusively thanking President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following their release.

There was an outcry after they were subsequently allowed to sell their stories, despite criticism in some quarters at the way they conducted themselves.

Mr Browne told MPs that Gen Fulton's report would not be published because it covered sensitive operational matters, although a copy would be be given in confidence to the Commons Defence Committee. However Admiral Band said that it had not found any shortcomings in their weapons, equipment, or rules of engagement.

He admitted however that there had been a lack of "operational awareness" about the situation facing naval forces in the area. Admiral Band also disclosed that the report's recommendations included improvements in "conduct after capture" training.