Conclusions and recommendations
1. In
respect of the annual renewal of Service law, our concern has
been met… We commend the Government for responding promptly
to parliamentary pressure to reinstate the requirement for annual
renewal of Service law. (Paragraph 3)
2. In respect of the
degree of independence in the complaints procedure, our concerns
have only been partially met. (Paragraph 4)
3. We welcome the
proposal to create a Service Complaints Commissioner. Creating
an independent office to which people can make complaints should
meet the key concern that Servicemen and women and their families
are not always willing to raise issues with the chain of command.
But the House should be aware that the role proposed for the Commissioner
falls a long way short of the investigatory body proposed by our
predecessor Committee. (Paragraph 9)
4. We welcome the
MoD's openness in facilitating parliamentary scrutiny of developments
in Service law. (Paragraph 12)
5. We recommend that
the House agree with the Lords Amendments establishing a Service
Complaints Commissioner, but it should do so in the knowledge
that there is concern that these amendments do not go far enough
to ensure independence in the complaints process and that much
of the detail remains to be established by secondary legislation.
The House can be assured that this Committee will be monitoring
the secondary legislation closely and will, if necessary, report
any further concerns to the House. (Paragraph 13)
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