The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
the Data
Protection Act (DPA), Freedom of Information Act (FOI Act) and
other relevant
legislation
would be developed.
113.
Lt Gen Palmer
also advised that a report on the progress of all Inquiries
and
investigations
would be sent to Ministers every two months.
114.
Mr Hoon
met some of the families bereaved during Op TELIC on 28
April.73
They
expressed concern about the Services’ investigative processes in
general and in
particular
the quality and frequency of communication from the MOD, and said
that they
lacked
confidence in the BOI and investigative processes. Their concerns
triggered a
review of
Service Police investigations, which is described later in this
Section.
115.
Mr Hoon
received the first progress report on investigations and BOIs on
14 June.74
116.
Mr Hoon’s
Assistant Private Secretary responded to the progress report
on
18 June,
stating that the MOD now had, for the first time, visibility of the
extent and
progress of
all current investigations.75
The
Assistant Private Secretary reported that
Mr Hoon
had:
“... noted
that the submission has confirmed a number of weaknesses, in
particular
the length
of time it has taken to complete many of the investigations and
the
apparent
lack of communication with some of the families on the more
protracted
investigations.
The Secretary of State [Mr Hoon] will expect to see
improvement
in these
and the other areas as the Board of Inquiry study recommendations
are
implemented.
He will also wish to see early results in the work commissioned
by
VCDS into
the procedural aspects of SIB investigations. It is important that
these
workstrands
are linked: how many BOIs are delayed because of SIB work?
He
will also
wish to see progress in the next report on bringing the more
protracted
investigations
to a speedy close.”
117.
Mr Hoon’s
Assistant Private Secretary concluded that Mr Hoon would “wish
to be
assured
that making progress on the various investigations and the Boards
of Inquiry
continues
to receive appropriate senior management attention”.
118.
Lt Gen Palmer
told the Inquiry:
“... the
Secretary of State [Mr Hoon] himself was personally briefed
every two
months by
me as to exactly which Board of Inquiry was delayed, or rather
the
findings
were delayed, why they were delayed, what the reasons for the delay
was.
Could we do
anything to speed up the process, and how are the families
reacting
73
Minute
DCDS(Pers) to APS/SofS [MOD], 30 June 2004, ‘Boards of Inquiry –
Improvements in Process’.
74
Minute
DCDS(Pers) to APS/SofS [MOD], 30 June 2004, ‘Boards of Inquiry –
Improvements in Process’.
75
Minute
APS/Hoon to DCDS(Pers), 18 June 2004, ‘Inquiries into Unnatural
Death and Serious Injury on
Operations:
First Routine Report’.
76
Public
hearing, 21 July 2010, page 56.
98