The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
334.
Ms Harman
and Mr Ingram met on 18 April to discuss legal representation
at
military
inquests.211
Ms Harman
said that there were two distinct areas to consider:
•
“logistical
and moral” support and advice for families; and
•
legal
advice and representation.
335.
Mr Ingram
and Ms Harman both stated that their departments did not have
the
resources
to fund legal representation. They agreed that:
“... the
increased support for families from the MOD and the increased
support for
coroners as
well as the work on greater disclosure of information would go a
long
way to
providing families with the support they want at
inquests.”
336.
They also
agreed to set out that increased support in a Written
Ministerial
Statement.
337.
Mr Ingram
undertook to ensure that families had an MOD representative with
them
at the
inquest “to provide explanations and support”.
338.
Mr Ingram
made a Written Ministerial Statement on 7 June on improved
support
to bereaved
families.212
The
Statement did not cover legal representation for
bereaved
families at
inquests.
339.
The Royal
British Legion’s “Honour the Covenant” campaign, which was
launched
in
September 2007, highlighted the distress caused to families by
delays to and the lack
of legal
representation during inquests, and called for legal advice,
representation and
advocacy to
be provided to all families at public expense.213
340.
Ms Joan
Humble, chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Army
Deaths,
wrote to
Ms Prentice on 14 December seeking advice on how the Group
could best
engage with
Government discussions on the reform of the inquest system and
in
particular
the issue of legal representation for the families of deceased
Service
Personnel.214
Ms Humble
stated:
“To
grieving families it seems a travesty of justice that MOD and
Service Personnel
should
appear in court represented at public expense while they may have
been
advised
they don’t require representation or [are] forced to put their life
savings
on the
line.”
341.
Ms Prentice
replied on 19 February 2008, recalling the position that legal aid
was
not usually
available for representation at an inquest because it was a
“fact‑finding
211
Minute
Tierney to DCA [junior official], 19 April 2007, ‘Note of meeting
between Harriet Harman and
Adam Ingram
on legal representation at military Inquests’.
212
House of
Commons, Official
Report, 7 June
2007, column 26WS.
213
The Royal
British Legion, September 2007, Honour the
Covenant.
214
Letter
Humble to Prentice, 14 December 2007, [untitled].
134