The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
360.
The Deepcut
Review into the circumstances surrounding the deaths of
four
soldiers at
the Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut reported in March
2006.229
The
Review
recommended:
“There should always be an inquest, or, in Scotland, a Fatal
Accidents
Inquiry,
into a sudden death of a solider, wherever the death has
occurred.”
361.
The
Government’s formal response to the Review, which issued in June,
stated that
discussions
were continuing between the MOD and the DCA, with a view to
responding
to the
recommendation in the context of the Coroners Bill.230
Responsibility
for legislation
on
inquiries into deaths in Scotland was delegated to the Scottish
administration; any
proposals
would therefore need to be discussed with the
Scottish Executive.
362.
On 4 December,
Ms Harman met relatives of Service Personnel killed in Iraq,
to
discuss
their experience of the investigation and inquest
process.231
The record
of the
meeting
reported that there was consensus that inquests should be held
“more locally,
including
in Scotland”.
363.
Ms Harman
wrote to Mr Browne later that month summarising the
conclusions
of the
meeting, including:
“There is a
particular issue about Scottish fatalities which are repatriated to
England
and Wales
... unless there is an inquest in England there will be no inquiry
at all
in
Scotland. It was suggested [at the meeting] that until such time as
the Scottish
Executive’s
position changes, a coroner in the north of England might be able
to
take on
inquests for Scottish families, and my officials are looking into
this possibility.
I am also
going to discuss with the Scottish Executive the issue of extending
the
scope of
the Fatal Accident Inquiry to cover Service deaths
abroad.”232
364.
In April 2007,
Ms Harman met Mr Ingram to discuss legal representation
for
families at
inquests.233
Mr Ingram
asked whether there was scope to transfer the inquest
into the
loss of Nimrod XV230 to Scotland. Ms Harman said that she had
discussed the
issue with
the Scottish Lord Advocate and relevant Scottish Executive
Minister, who
had both
confirmed that there was no scope in Scotland for an inquest or
Fatal Accident
Inquiry
(FAI) into the incident.
365.
Nimrod XV230
had crashed in Afghanistan on 2 September 2006, with the loss
of
14
crew.234
The
aircraft was based at RAF Kinloss in Scotland.
229
Nicholas
Blake QC, A Review of
the circumstances surrounding the deaths of four soldiers at
Princess
Royal
Barracks, Deepcut, between 1995 and 2002, HC795, 29
March 2006.
230
Ministry of
Defence,
The
Government’s Response to the Deepcut Review, Cm
6851, June 2006.
231
Report
Opinion Leader, January 2007, ‘DCA meeting with families of
military personnel who lost their
lives in
Iraq’.
232
Letter
Harman to Browne, 18 December 2006, ‘Proposals arising from meeting
with relatives of service
personnel
on their experience of the inquest system’.
233
Minute
Tierney to DCA [junior official], 19 April 2007, ‘Note of meeting
between Harriet Harman and
Adam Ingram
on legal representation at military inquests’.
234
GOV.UK, 3
September 2006, Fourteen
personnel in Afghanistan Nimrod crash named.
138