The school's deputy head, Lieutenant-Colonel António Grilo, was earlier this month reported as having told a newspaper that when a pupil was openly homosexual it was usual for staff to speak to his parents of guardians and suggest that it would be better for him not to stay on because he would be ostracised.

The case led indirectly to the resignation of the chief of staff of the army, General Carlos Jerónimo, after the minister of defence, Azeredo Lopes, told another newspaper that any discrimination of the kind was unacceptable and that he had asked Jerónimo to clarify the situation and outline what steps he would be taking to ensure pupils' rights were respected.

In Thursday's vote in the parliamentary subcommittee, Elza Pais told Lusa, the Left Bloc motion was approved with the votes in favour of deputies from that party and from the governing Socialist Party, while deputies for the right-wing People's Party and centre-right Social Democratic Party abstained. The Communist Party was not represented at the session.

A separate motion to call in the association of parents and guardians of pupils at the Colégio Militar was approved unanimously, Pais said.

A new chief of staff of the army Lieutenant-General Frederico Rovisco Duarte, has meanwhile been appointed and is to take office on Friday.