§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response he has made to the 8th annual report of the Independent Assessor of Military Complaints with particular reference to the recommendations of the report(a) to take steps to reduce the number of complaints about helicopters and to make pilots aware of the costs of compensation claims, (b) to carry out an independent evaluation of community awareness training and (c) to take steps to promote the informal resolution of complaints. [7083]
§ Mr. IngramThe Independent Assessor of Military Complaints submits his report to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland as required by Section 98 and Schedule 11 to the Terrorism Act 2000. In the last couple of his reports the Independent Assessor has concentrated on helicopter complaints which is understandable given the continued need for the use of helicopters owing to the terrorist threat from Dissident Republicans.
The Ministry of Defence values the views of the Independent Assessor and has taken on board the three recommendations he made in his latest Report. Details of 950W compensation awards as a result of helicopter activity are now sent to the Commander of the Joint Helicopter Force (Northern Ireland) so that pilots can be made aware of the financial impact their actions can have. Headquarters Northern Ireland (HQNI) are also considering how best the Community Awareness Training might be evaluated by an independent body and are looking at a number of agencies that may be able to carry out this task. The emphasis on informal resolution of complaints remains a priority for HQNI and they continue to work closely with the Civil Representatives from the Northern Ireland Office in achieving this goal.