§ Adam PriceTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence who is responsible for responding to reports of the Special Investigations Branch; and what options are available for further action to be taken. [147710]
§ Mr. IngramUpon completion of a Special Investigation Branch (SIB) investigation, a report is produced which is passed to the Commanding Officer of the unit involved. The Commanding Officer is then advised by the relevant service legal branch, as to the options available to him, such as whether the matter could be dealt with summarily by the Commanding Officer himself, or a more senior officer in the chain of command, or whether the case should be passed to the relevant service Prosecuting Authority. Service Prosecuting Authorities then decide whether to proceed to Court Martial based on their responsibilities under prosecuting guidelines issued by the Attorney-General.
In addition, the report produced by the Special Investigation Branch may be used to inform a Board of Inquiry.