§ Mr. Gerald HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on(a) legal fees, (b) special security measures and (c) other expenses in supporting former members of the Parachute Regiment in connection with the Saville Inquiry. [98588]
§ Mr. HoonAs at the end of September the Ministry of Defence has spent £2,843,519 on legal fees in total in connection with the Bloody Sunday Inquiry. It is not possible to identify separately the legal costs incurred in supporting former members of the Parachute Regiment, since soldiers from many other regiments are involved.
Special security measures were not provided by the Department but by the Home Office; the costs are withheld for security reasons under Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.
The only other expenses which can be identified as having been incurred in supporting former members of the Parachute Regiment are travel and subsistence costs which are reimbursed following meetings with their MOD-appointed lawyers. These currently amount to £6,256.17.