16.3 | Military fatalities and the bereaved

119. On 24 June, Lt Gen Palmer reported to ACM Bagnall that the “initial tranche” of

improvements identified by the BOI study (comprising 13 of the 15 recommendations)

was now in place.77 Each Service had appointed a “Senior Co‑ordinator”, to act as a

focal point for monitoring investigations and BOIs. Lt Gen Palmer gave ACM Bagnall

the “specific reassurance” that he had requested, that:

• Each Service had agreed to appoint a BOI President within 48 hours, unless

judged unnecessary by a higher authority.

• Each Service had undertaken to provide regular briefings to next of kin on

process and progress. All communication with the next of kin would be routed

through a single contact (normally the Visiting Officer) who would “act as a sift”

to filter out any insensitive or inconsistent drafting.

120. Lt Gen Palmer also reported that he had carefully considered a suggestion from

Mr Hoon that the BOI process should include “an individual who is independent of both

MOD and the bereaved family ... who would give a view of whether or not the BOI had

completed its job successfully, before the report was published”, but had concluded that:

“... the purpose for which BOIs are established and the perceived presentational

need to prove to external parties that they carry out their work successfully cannot

sensibly be reconciled.”

121. Lt Gen Palmer advised that including an independent element would delay the BOI

process, “yet bring no guarantee of adding value, credibility or acceptability of a Board’s

findings”. Families’ concerns could largely be met by the “administrative arrangements –

including better communications – already put in place”.

122. Ministers returned to the question of whether there should be an independent

member on a BOI in 2007.

123. On 30 June, Lt Gen Palmer sent Mr Hoon a progress report on work to improve

the BOI process.78 Lt Gen Palmer wrote that it was “clear that we are failing to meet

some families’ expectations in respect of the quality and quantity of information we are

providing to them”. The key to improving the flow of information to families would be

the new Senior Co‑ordinators, who would ensure that BOIs proceeded quickly and that

families were briefed on progress.

124. Lt Gen Palmer reflected on the role and impact of the Senior Co‑ordinator in his

evidence to the Inquiry:

“... he was responsible for the progress of Boards of Inquiry. If there were delays,

why there were delays and what should be done about it, and keeping, importantly,

the families informed through the visiting officers as to what was going on.

77 Minute DCDS(Pers) to VCDS, 24 June 2004, ‘Inquiries into Unnatural Death and Serious Injury:

Improvements in Process and Briefing’.

78 Minute DCDS(Pers) to APS/SoS [MOD], 30 June 2004, ‘Boards of Inquiry – Improvements in Process’.

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