The Earl of Carlisleasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many times, since 1 May 1997, a redress of complaint, made by an officer or an other rank in the Armed Forces, has taken more than 12 months to process from submission to conclusion; and what was the reason for the delay in each case. [HL4144]
§ The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean)The number of redresses of complaint submitted since 1 May 1997 which took more than 12 months to be concluded was 57 for the Army and seven for the RAF. In addition, the Army has 102 cases and the RAF 12 cases which remain unresolved after 12 months. These figures cover complaints processed within the chain of command and by the Service Board. The Navy only collects information centrally on cases which fall to be determined by the board. On this basis, four cases took more than 12 months to resolve and seven cases are still outstanding.
The most common reasons for delay are the need to carry out special investigations, which may involve service police inquiries and the taking of witness statements; the need to take legal or other expert advice; and the extensive consultation required on complaints which challenge existing policy. Delays are also caused by complainants, or their legal representative, seeking information from the department to help them formulate their complaint, adding new complaints as the redress processes or delaying their response to the disclosure to them of all relevant papers before their case is submitted to the Service Board.
Although the services seeks to deal with all complaints expeditiously, the overriding importance of the thorough investigation and careful consideration of complex complaints often militates against this.