HC Deb 06 November 1997 vol 300 cc320-1W
Mr. McNamara

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civilian complaints were made against each regiment of the British Army during the past three years; and how many of these led to disciplinary action. [13062]

Dr. Reid

Figures for complaints against the Army outside Northern Ireland are not recorded centrally. So far as the Army in Northern Ireland is concerned complaints are categorised as criminal or non-criminal. During the past three years the Royal Ulster Constabulary received the following number of criminal complaints:

Criminal complaints
Year Total
1995 28
1996 32
1997 165
1 Figures up to 31 October 1997.

A breakdown by regiment is not available. As regards non-criminal complaints the Independent Assessor of Military Complaints Procedures in Northern Ireland recommended in 1994 that these should be informally resolved at local level wherever possible. In the past three years the numbers of non-criminal complaints dealt with in this way were as follows:

Informal non-criminal complaints
Year Total
1995 41
1996 264
1997 1483
1 Figures up to 30 September 1997.

Once again a breakdown by regiment is not available. Where informal resolution is not possible or appropriate, complaints are investigated more formally. The numbers of formal non-criminal complaints, by regiment, in the past three years are set out in the table.

Formal non-criminal complaints
1995 1996 11997
The 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment 2
The 1st Battalion Green Howards 1
42 Commando Royal Marines 1 1
The 1st Battalion The Parachute Regiment 3 4
The 1st Battalion The King's Regiment 1
The Royal Military Police 2
The 3rd Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 3 8 12
The 4th Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 2
The 5th Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment
The 7th Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 3 1
The 8th Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 2 3 7
The 9th Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 1 2
Unit unknown 2 2 3
The 1st Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment 1
The 1st Battalion The Royal Scots Regiment 1
The 1st Battalion the Grenadier Guards 1 2
The 1st Battalion The Coldstream Guards 2
The Duke of Wellington's Regiment 1
The 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment 2 1
The Scots Guards 1
The 1st Battalion The Royal Welch Fusiliers 3
The 3rd Battalion The Royal Air Force Regiment 1
The 3rd Battalion The Royal Horse Artillery 1
The 9th/12th Battalion The Royal Lancers 1
The 1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment 2
The 1st Battalion The Royal Artillery 1 2
The 1st Battalion The Highlanders 1
The 1st Battalion The Welsh Guards 2
655 Army Air Corps 1
Lisburn Station Guard Force 1
42 Battery 22 Air Defence Regiment 1
Withdrawn Military not involved 1
The 1st Battalion The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders
The 1st Battalion The Light Infantry
The 1st Battalion The Kings Own Scottish Borderers
24 Engineer Regiment
The King's Royal Hussars
Total 21 24 51
Disciplinary action taken 2 1 4
1 To 30 September 1997.