§ Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ Whether they will establish an independent civilian-led investigation into alleged unlawful killings by British Forces in Iraq; and whether they will compensate the families of persons unlawfully killed by members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces. [HL2828]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): An important role of the Service Police is to investigate alleged offences by members of the UK Armed Forces. Service Police investigations are competent, impartial and effective. Service Police work to Home Office standards, are advised by professional lawyers, and are required by statute to follow civilian police force procedures. It is very difficult to see what added value a civilian body would bring to these investigations. In addition, there would be practical difficulties associated with a civilian body working in a hostile environment. We have every confidence in existing arrangements.
§ Claims made by Iraqis for losses that do not arise in connection with combat operations are handled in accordance with the direction of the Coalition Provisional Authority—specifically Section 18 of CPA order number 17.