§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the reasons why certain documents, including boards of inquiry reports relating to deaths of service personnel, should remain confidential to his Department.
§ Mr. Archie HamiltonA board of inquiry aims to establish the facts of an incident and make recommendations to prevent a recurrence. It can help witnesses to speak freely and frankly if their evidence is treated confidentially. Other documents may be confidential for a variety of reasons, such as national security or medical or commercial confidentiality. Where original documents cannot be released the Department makes every effort to provide information to the next of kin of service men in alternative forms.