HC Deb 12 June 2000 vol 351 cc448-9W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 24 January 2000,Official Report, column 67W, on the Royal Irish Regiment (a) for what reasons the report of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Military Police has not been made and (b) how many of the sub-sections of the Question he is in a position to respond to. [123885]

Mr. Spellar

The investigation by Special Investigations Branch, Royal Military Police is now complete and I can confirm the following information.

There have been four Parliamentary Questions on this matter including this one and two Parliamentary Inquiries. The photograph was taken on Monday 12 July at Drumadd Barracks, Armagh and shows 59 Officers and soldiers from F Company the 8th Battalion the Royal Irish Regiment (8 R IRISH). The photoshoot was supervised by a Major who took some of the photographs before joining the Company for further photographs, which were taken by a Warrant Officer. The flag was produced by a soldier of the Company who had just come off duty. A commercial photographic service establishment in Belfast developed the film and approximately 40 copies were made and given to members within F Company. No disciplinary action is to be taken against the officer but formal administrative action procedures have been initiated.

Photographs can be taken in all sorts of circumstances which can subsequently be misinterpreted. F Company was deployed on 12 July along with other Army units precisely in order to prevent sectarian violence and it is wrong to label a whole Regiment, or the individuals in the photograph, as bigoted. We expect the highest standards of conduct from all soldiers, and in particular that they should be aware of community sensitivities in Northern Ireland. During 1999 the Royal Irish Regiment collected over £133,000 for cross-community charities. 8 R IRISH also won the prestigious Wilkinson's Sword of Peace for its cross-community work in Armagh. These are examples of their cross-community activities and are not indicative of a biased Regiment.