§ Mr. Simon HughesTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances his Department's boards of inquiry are set up; who carries out the inquiry; in what circumstances the reports or conclusions of boards of inquiry are made public; and how many boards of inquiry have been launched in each of the past five years. [24959]
§ Mr. SoamesA board of inquiry—BOI—is set up in accordance with Section 135(1) of the Army Act 1955 and BOI (Army) Rules 1956, section 135 of the Air Force Act 1955 and BOI (Air Force) Rules 1956 and Queen's Regulations for the Royal Navy by authority of the Defence Council.
A BOI must be convened in certain circumstances such as unlawful absence exceeding 21 days, the capture by the enemy of a person subject to military law, the death of a person abroad in a military establishment where no inquiry is required by civil law, disablement of a ship, and aircraft accidents. BOIs may also be convened in a variety of other circumstances where the incident affects military service.
In general, a BOI may be convened by the service boards, an officer not below the rank of colonel or equivalent or, in certain circumstances, an officer of any rank commanding a unit or detachment.
Boards of inquiry are internal fact-finding investigations undertaken for military purposes and to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident. As such, they are not in the public domain. Boards of inquiry reports 463W are, however, made available, subject to the minimum security requirements, to the next of kin of deceased service personnel who are killed in in-service accidents.
Records covering the number of BOIs convened are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.