Parliamentary activity

Answering body: Cabinet Office

The Minister for Veterans' Affairs is reviewing the record in light of the Afghanistan Inquiry which is currently underway. The Minister is fully aware of his obligations to Parliament and holds his responsibilities to the House in the highest regard.

Answering body: Ministry of Defence

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (The Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

Further to the statement by the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP dated 5 July 2023, I can confirm that the Terms of Reference of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan have been amended by agreement with the Chair the Rt Hon Lord Justice Haddon-Cave.

I have placed a copy of the revised Terms of Reference in the Library of the House.

The amendments reflect the Written Ministerial Statement, which avowed the involvement of Special Forces in alleged unlawful activity in Afghanistan in the period mid-2010 to mid-2013.

In my new capacity as Secretary of State for Defence, I would like to reiterate my strong support for this Inquiry commissioned by the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP.

Answering body: Ministry of Defence

Further to the statement by the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP dated 5 July 2023, I can confirm that the Terms of Reference of the Independent Inquiry relating to Afghanistan have been amended by agreement with the Chair the Rt Hon Lord Justice Haddon-Cave.

I have placed a copy of the revised Terms of Reference in the Library of the House.

The amendments reflect the Written Ministerial Statement, which avowed the involvement of Special Forces in alleged unlawful activity in Afghanistan in the period mid-2010 to mid-2013.

In my new capacity as Secretary of State for Defence, I would like to reiterate my strong support for this Inquiry commissioned by the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP.

Answering body: Ministry of Defence

My Right Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence (The Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

As announced to the House on 15 December 2022, I commissioned The Rt Hon Lord Justice Haddon-Cave to chair an independent statutory inquiry under the 2005 Inquiries Act to investigate and report on alleged unlawful activity by British Armed Forces during deliberate detention operations (DDO) in Afghanistan in the period mid-2010 to mid-2013, and the adequacy of subsequent investigations into such allegations.

It is right that the Ministry of Defence continues to balance the requirement to be as open and transparent as possible against national security considerations. The Inquiry are now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK Special Forces.

This confirmation is made in the exceptional circumstances of this Inquiry, where the activities of this organisation are the central focus of the inquiry’s investigation, as set out in its Terms of Reference. Outside of this very specific context, such confirmation should not be seen to alter the longstanding position of this Government, and previous Governments, to not comment on the deployment or activities of the UK Special Forces. I remain steadfast in this for the protection of those involved and our national security.

Answering body: Ministry of Defence

As announced to the House on 15 December 2022, I commissioned The Rt Hon Lord Justice Haddon-Cave to chair an independent statutory inquiry under the 2005 Inquiries Act to investigate and report on alleged unlawful activity by British Armed Forces during deliberate detention operations (DDO) in Afghanistan in the period mid-2010 to mid-2013, and the adequacy of subsequent investigations into such allegations.

It is right that the Ministry of Defence continues to balance the requirement to be as open and transparent as possible against national security considerations. The Inquiry are now reaching the stage of substantive hearings, and I can confirm that the allegations relate to the conduct of UK Special Forces.

This confirmation is made in the exceptional circumstances of this Inquiry, where the activities of this organisation are the central focus of the inquiry’s investigation, as set out in its Terms of Reference. Outside of this very specific context, such confirmation should not be seen to alter the longstanding position of this Government, and previous Governments, to not comment on the deployment or activities of the UK Special Forces. I remain steadfast in this for the protection of those involved and our national security.

Answering body: Home Office

Today I am updating Parliament on Home Office delivery since the previous Written Ministerial Statement of 5th September 2022. In the face of an increasingly complex operational context, the Home Office continues to make a significant positive impact. We have faced substantial external pressures which have continued over the last three months, including the ongoing arrival of small boats and war in Ukraine. The department remains committed to delivering better outcomes for the public and continues to work to deliver a safer, fairer and more prosperous United Kingdom.

Following the sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Home Office successfully delivered departmental responsibilities and assurance of police and security plans for Operation London Bridge from 8th-19th September 2022. Keeping the capital safe during an event on this scale - the equivalent of 160 state visits within three days – was a major achievement. This was the largest no-notice policing operation of a generation which included over 12,000 police officers deployed on the day of the state funeral.

Reducing Crime

The first job of any government is to keep its people safe, which is why we have put more police on our streets, are cutting crime and protecting the public. Over the last three months, the Home Office has worked hard to achieve these priorities. Overall crime has fallen by 10% since December 2019, equivalent to 1m fewer crimes.

Neighbourhood Crime

Neighbourhood crime is down 20% since December 2019, and burglary has fallen by 30% over the same time period. Since the Safer Streets Fund was established, we have awarded £120 million to local projects in high-crime areas across England and Wales through four rounds of funding, supporting over 250 projects. I am pleased that the NPCC has announced that all Police chiefs in England and Wales committed in September to attend all home burglaries. An example of this in action is Operation Tenacity, which saw the Metropolitan Police attend most burglaries, resulting in 1,700 arrests in just 6 weeks during October and November this year.

Serious Violence

Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object among under 25s – our primary metric for measuring serious violence - have fallen by 22% since December 2019. Our Violence Reduction Unit programme alongside targeted police enforcement activity has prevented over 49,000 violent offences since funding for the programmes began in March 2019. In addition, 260,000 vulnerable young people have been supported through Violence Reduction Units in their second year alone, and 90,000 weapons have been taken off our streets since 2019.

The ‘Grip’ police enforcement programme is supporting the police to take targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence. Grip is helping to drive down violence by using a highly data-driven process to identify violence hotspots – often to individual street level – to target operational activity in those areas.

We are seeing impact in areas we are funding: for instance, hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object amongst under 25s in the Metropolitan Police Force area fell from 465 in 2020/21 to 410 in 2021/22.

Drugs
We know that the drugs trade is at the heart of much of the homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime that blight our communities. Our 10-year cross-Government Drug Strategy published in December 2021 includes £300 million of dedicated investment over the next three years, to drive work on tackling drug supply.

We are breaking drug supply chains: our work to tackle the supply of drugs through county lines is already making an impact. Through the County Lines Programme since launching in 2019, Police have closed down more than 2,900 deal lines (including over 500 lines since April 2022) and made over 8,000 arrests. Dedicated specialist services are supporting children and young people and their families to escape county lines exploitation and rebuild their lives.

Drug data from Project ADDER (Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement and Recovery), a programme trailblazing a whole system response to combatting drug misuse, shows positive early signs. Between January 2021 and September 2022, the ADDER programme has supported over 1,600 Organised Crime Group disruptions, over 20,500 arrests, and over £7m cash seized. We are also diverting people into treatment and wider support. For example, 12,400 Out of Court Disposals have been offered and over 8,000 naloxone kits distributed in the community.

Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls
Between January 2021 and August 2022, a team of academics conducted sequential deep dives on the police response to rape in 5 police forces: Avon and Somerset Police, the Metropolitan Police Service, Durham Constabulary, West Midlands Police and South Wales Police. A wide range of data and information was gathered and examined during the deep dives - including reviews of case files, observations of investigations and training, focus groups with support services and victims. Following the deep dives, the forces have developed tailored improvement plans to address the findings; which has led to the roll out of Operation Soteria.

We continue to implement the Rape Review Action Plan, investing £6.65 million in Operation Soteria to deliver the national operating model for the investigation of rape for all forces to adopt from June 2023; introducing new powers to stop unnecessary and intrusive requests for victims’ phones; and continuing to work with police forces to ensure they have the capability to return victims’ devices within 24 hours. In the year-ending June 2022, the police recorded 196,889 sexual offences, the highest level recorded within a 12-month period. This is a 21% increase compared to year ending March 2020.

On 15 December, the Government published its third six monthly Rape Review Progress Update, which showed that – although there is still more to do - the Government is on track to meet its Rape Review ambition to more than double the number of adult rape cases reaching court by the end of this parliament. In the most recent data for 2022, the number of cases referred by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was up 95 percent; the volume of cases charged was up by two-thirds; and the number of cases reaching the Crown Court was up 91 percent compared to 2019 averages.

We have continued to implement the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, and have enshrined into law the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. We have introduced new offences relating to non-fatal strangulation, hymenoplasty and virginity testing. We have strengthened protections and support for victims of domestic abuse and the response to perpetrators through the provisions in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. We have made the regime for managing sex offenders and those that pose a risk of sexual harm more robust through provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022.

In January 2020 we introduced Stalking Protection Orders to protect victims of stalking at the earliest possible opportunity; 456 orders were issued in their first year. Extensive work is also under way to launch the pilot for the new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders early next year.

On 25th October, we launched the second phase of our multimedia ‘Enough’ national campaign which promotes safe ways for bystanders to intervene if they witness VAWG. The campaign has reached millions of individuals across England and Wales, with thousands of clicks through to organisations offering support for victims of VAWG.

Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation

We received the final report of the independent inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse after seven years of investigation into institutional failings to properly safeguard children from this most horrific abuse. I commend the bravery of the thousands of victims and survivors for sharing their testimonies and perspectives with the inquiry. We will continue doing everything we can to combat this crime, pursue these vile offenders, bring them to justice, and ensure supports are in place for all victims and survivors to help them build their lives.

Public Order

The Public Order Bill will further enhance the police’s ability to deal with disruptive protests that prevent ordinary people going about their daily lives and divert police resources from communities where they are needed most to prevent serious violence and neighbourhood crime. So far disruptive protests in London alone have taken up over 12,500 police officer shifts. The Metropolitan Police Service have made over 750 arrests since the beginning of October.

Fraud

My department is launching a new fraud strategy including stepping up our response to pursuing and disrupting fraudsters, working with industry to stop frauds, and empower and support victims.

This Government is delivering the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill which will deliver the largest reform to Companies House in recent history. It will give law enforcement and industry the tools to bear down on the use of UK companies as vehicles for economic crime, including fraud. It will also better protect personal information and addresses provided to Companies House.

We have seen the success of the National Crime Agency’s Operation AGADE where we have recovered £54 million of criminal proceeds using a first of its kind Civil Recovery Order.

We have seen Operation Elaborate, the largest anti-fraud operation in the UK to date dismantling a website which was responsible for 3.5 million fraudulent calls in 2022. Involving many agencies and forces, and led by the Metropolitan Police there have been over 100 arrests made across the country so far.

Policing

Police Uplift
The Police Uplift Programme continues to support forces with additional police officers, and we remain on-track to recruit 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. Data published on 30th September 2022 shows that 15,343 additional officers have already been recruited, accounting for 77% of our target. There are now 11 forces with the highest number of officers they have ever had – Cheshire, Dyfed-Powys, Essex, Kent, City of London, the Metropolitan, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, South Wales, Suffolk and Thames Valley.

The police workforce is more representative than ever before. For the first time ever, there are over 50,000 female officers (50,364), as at 30th September 2022, 34.9% of all officers in post. There were 11,477 ethnic minority officers, as at 30th September 2022, 8.2% of all officers in post the highest figures on record.

Police Performance

His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) continues to shine a light on force performance. Humberside received an excellent report from their latest inspection, with six “outstanding” grades. Humberside was awarded the “outstanding” grade for preventing crime, treatment of the public, protecting vulnerable people, managing offenders, developing a positive workplace and good use of resources. It received a further two “good” grades and one “adequate” grade.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has made great strides in getting the basics right. Under strong leadership they are responding faster to emergency calls and halved the number of open investigations since 2021. HMICFRS removed GMP from their “engage” phase in October 2022. I am pleased to see GMP working so constructively with HMICFRS and others to act on their inspection findings. I encourage others to learn from their experience.

Six police forces remain ‘engaged’ by HMICFRS and I expect all forces to make the necessary improvements and work towards restoring public trust and confidence in the police.

Police Culture
We recognise that police culture and standards need to improve to rebuild public trust and confidence. We are bringing forward part two of the Angiolini Inquiry to focus on these issues and are reviewing the process of dismissals to ensure that policing can swiftly remove officers who fall well short of the standards expected of them.

We have commissioned the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to conduct a review of operational productivity in policing, led by Sir Stephen House. This will address issues which may affect the anticipated outcomes from our investment in policing.

We believe that a policing career must be open to talented and committed people from across our communities, including those who do not have a degree or want one. That is why I have commissioned the College of Policing to develop options for a new non-degree entry route. The current transitional non-degree entry route will be kept open in the meantime.

Reducing the risk to homeland security

The Home Office has continued to focus relentlessly on reducing risk across the full range of threats to our homeland security. In October, counter-terrorism police responded swiftly to an attack on a migration facility in Dover that was declared as terrorism.

On 30th October we announced a refresh of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. This will ensure we are able to best protect the public from the enduring threat of terrorism. The refresh will maintain clarity and consistency of purpose, and ensure the necessary tools are in place to tackle terrorist hatred and violence.

Our counter-terrorism system never stops learning. Volume 2 of the Manchester Arena Inquiry was published on 3rd November 2022. This covered the emergency services’ response on the night of the attack. The Government will respond fully when all three volumes have been published. However, we are already enhancing our response using the learning from the attacks – for example, in improving joint working between the emergency services - which will feed the refreshment of CONTEST. We have also received the Independent Review of Prevent, which we will look to publish next year alongside the HMG response. We will reflect the lessons and learning from the Shawcross Review, along with those from the numerous inquests, Inquiries and other reviews from recent years through the CONTEST refresh.

I have today issued a further written ministerial statement updating on our progress developing Martyn’s Law, also known as the Protect Duty. This is a significant milestone in the development of this first of its kind piece of legislation, which will keep people safe by scaling up preparedness for, and protection from, terrorist attacks. This legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows. This is a recommendation in Volume One of the Manchester Arena Inquiry. this duty has been tirelessly campaigned for by Figen Murray who tragically lost her son, Martyn, in the Manchester Arena attack. I would like to pay tribute to her alongside all other victims, survivors and those affected by these heinous events.

Access to data is fundamental to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes. The UK-US Data Access Agreement entered into force on 5th October 2022. This world-first capability will fundamentally change the way we are able to fight serious crime across the UK, including terrorism, organised immigration crime, and child abuse. The Agreement permits certain UK public authorities to obtain data directly from US-based communications service providers. This will allow us to access vital data more quickly than ever before. Operational benefits are already being derived from the Agreement.

Earlier in the year, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Home Office delivered a transformative package of work through emergency legislation to strengthen financial sanctions legislation, creating new Register of Overseas Entities and reforming Unexplained Wealth Orders.

We are building on that work through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill that was introduced in Parliament on 22nd September 2022. This cracks down even further on kleptocrats, criminals, and terrorists who abuse our open economy and ensures we drive out dirty money from the UK. It strengthens the UK’s reputation as a place where legitimate businesses can thrive and enhances our ability to tackle new and emerging threats like the use of crypto-assets, ransomware and the growth of cyber-enabled fraud.

The National Crime Agency’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell is also delivering significant success, with nearly 100 disruptions against Putin-linked elites and their enablers. It has frozen over £18 billion worth of assets in the UK. On 1st December 2022 it conducted a major operation to arrest a wealthy Russian businessman on suspicion of offences including money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office and conspiracy to commit perjury.

The National Security Bill, which is now at its Committee Stage in the House of Lords, represents a fundamental reform of our framework for tackling state threats. It includes a suite of new measures to tackle the full range of modern-day state threats, from sabotage and spying to foreign interference and economic espionage. It will ensure our world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the modern tools, powers, and protections they need to counter those who seek to do the UK harm.

The first meeting of the new Defending Democracy Taskforce took place on 28th November 2022. The Taskforce’s primary focus will be to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference. The Taskforce will work across government and with Parliament, the UK Intelligence Community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, and the private sector on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions.

Tackling illegal migration, removing those with no right to be here, and protecting the vulnerable

This year has been challenging for our efforts to tackle illegal migration due to pressures on the system, particularly due to consistently high numbers of arrivals by small boats and pressures on available accommodation, which have been exacerbated by responding to the war in Ukraine and continued instability in Afghanistan. I will continue to protect the public and keep our borders secure and the British people safe from harm.

The Prime Minister recently set out a range of significant new steps the Government is taking to tackle the challenge of illegal migration including:

A new deal with Albania and changes to our approach to speed up the removal of Albanians with no right to be here. This includes assurance from Albania that they can offer the required protection, in line with our international obligations, to genuine victims of modern slavery, embedding Border Force officers in Tirana Airport, increasing the threshold for people referred to the modern slavery system, establishing a unit to expedite Albanian claims with 400 specialist staff and new country guidance for our caseworkers making it clear that Albania is a safe country.

Establishing a new, permanent unified Small Boats Operational Command with 700 additional dedicated staff to deliver a more coordinated response to tackling crossings, bringing together military, civilian and NCA expertise to coordinate our intelligence, interception, processing, and enforcement.

Clearing the initial asylum decision backlog of legacy cases by the end of next year. We will make an initial decision in all cases that have been outstanding since before 28th June 2022

Plans to bring forward legislation next year to prevent abuse of our legal framework which will make it unambiguously clear that people entering illegally should have no right to stay here, and will be returned to their home country or a safe country for their asylum claim to be considered

Due to the unprecedented number of small boat arrivals and the pressure from COVID-19 on the asylum system it has been necessary to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers. This is only ever a short-term solution and we are working with our accommodation providers to find appropriate dispersed accommodation across the UK.

The new UK-French agreement I agreed with my counterpart lays the foundations for deeper co-operation to tackle illegal migration and marks the next step for the close operational partnership between the two countries which has prevented over 31,500 crossings, nearly 50% more than to this point in 2021.

The arrangement means, for the first time, specialist UK officers will also be embedded with their French counterparts, which will increase information-sharing, improve understanding of the threat, and ensure UK expertise is at the heart of efforts to disrupt crossings and clamp down on people-smugglers. This more integrated approach will also include strengthened operational co-operation, including joint UK-France analysis teams supporting the co-ordination and exchange of information by French-command HQ. We have signed the biggest small boats joint bilateral deal with France, we have put the Calais group on a permanent footing showing the importance of this issue to our European partners and we have agreed new levels of intelligence co-operation with our European neighbours.

These measures build on the progress we have made through the year. We have introduced Part 5 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, which provides legislative clarity to victims and decision-makers on victims’ rights, including the entitlement to a recovery period and the circumstances in which it may be withheld.

We continue to return foreign national offenders (FNOs) by scheduled and charter flights. From January 2019 to March 2022, we have removed 11,532 FNOs. Since April 2020, we have chartered 156 flights to Europe and around the World. In the year ending June 2022, there were 3,250 enforced returns, of which 1,600 were to EU countries.

Safe and Legal Routes

We have continued to support those fleeing conflicts abroad, granting Indefinite Leave to Remain to over 11,300 individuals from Afghanistan under ARAP or ACRS Pathway 1.

As of 24th November, 202,710 visas have been granted and 146,222 have arrived in the UK from Ukraine. 59,480 have been granted and 41,093 people have arrived under the Ukraine Family Scheme. 143,230 visas have been granted and 105,129 arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Through the Hong Kong British National Overseas route, there have been a total of 150,600 applications since its introduction on 31st January 2021 up to the end of September 2022 of which there were 144,576 grants (96%).

Enabling the legitimate movement of people and goods

Passports are about to enter the busy period in January, and plans are well advanced in preparation for that and for a high level of demand forecast across 2023. There was record demand for passport applications this year – with approximately 7.4 million applications processed by the end of October. Service standards have remained high since November and 99.9% of UK standard applications were completed within the 10-week service standard in the week ending 20th November. Every effort is being made to return to the three-week service standard.

The visa service has faced significant demands post-pandemic and following Ukraine and higher than forecast levels of demand. Considering this, it is performing well under pressure, and through supportive contingency measures, standard applications have returned to service standards and we are on track for complex applications to also return to service standards in December.

Despite these challenges staff productivity has remained high, and we continue to manage staff flexibly across services to reduce work in progress to minimal levels for passport and deliver the visa recovery by the year end.

Border Force have seen passenger numbers increase to near pre-pandemic levels by the end of summer and also managed the introduction of post EU exit goods checks and the first full year of EU citizens requiring passports and additional checks. eGates have performed well and IT resilience has been strong enabling over 90% of passengers to cross borders within tolerance levels.

Border Force also reached its annual Target for Cigarette and Tobacco seizures within 7 months of 2022-23/ In October, £35 million in cigarettes and tobacco were seized bringing the YTD total to £255 million (101%) of the annual target of £252 million. On alcohol, Border Force seized £4.3 million, bringing the YTD total to £25.1 million (63%) of the annual target of £40 million.

The FBIS programme has built-up the expertise and capability to reduce significantly the time taken to launch a brand-new visa route or to amend criteria for existing visa applications.

We have made significant progress in digitising the immigration system. We are increasingly replacing physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. This has provided applicants with an easy online application process, including providing biometrics and establishing or verifying identity using their smartphones. A fully digital application process has been delivered for the BN(O) route and some points-based system routes and now for Ukraine schemes.

All these achievements have been delivered against a challenging background and represent a significant effort across the Home Office in continuing to deliver on the people’s priorities. The Home Office remains committed to keeping the public safe, protecting our borders, and countering hostile state threats.

Answering body: Home Office

My rt hon Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department (Suella Braverman) has today made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

Today I am updating Parliament on Home Office delivery since the previous Written Ministerial Statement of 5th September 2022. In the face of an increasingly complex operational context, the Home Office continues to make a significant positive impact. We have faced substantial external pressures which have continued over the last three months, including the ongoing arrival of small boats and war in Ukraine. The department remains committed to delivering better outcomes for the public and continues to work to deliver a safer, fairer and more prosperous United Kingdom.

Following the sad death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Home Office successfully delivered departmental responsibilities and assurance of police and security plans for Operation London Bridge from 8th-19th September 2022. Keeping the capital safe during an event on this scale - the equivalent of 160 state visits within three days – was a major achievement. This was the largest no-notice policing operation of a generation which included over 12,000 police officers deployed on the day of the state funeral.

Reducing Crime

The first job of any government is to keep its people safe, which is why we have put more police on our streets, are cutting crime and protecting the public. Over the last three months, the Home Office has worked hard to achieve these priorities. Overall crime has fallen by 10% since December 2019, equivalent to 1m fewer crimes.

Neighbourhood Crime

Neighbourhood crime is down 20% since December 2019, and burglary has fallen by 30% over the same time period. Since the Safer Streets Fund was established, we have awarded £120 million to local projects in high-crime areas across England and Wales through four rounds of funding, supporting over 250 projects. I am pleased that the NPCC has announced that all Police chiefs in England and Wales committed in September to attend all home burglaries. An example of this in action is Operation Tenacity, which saw the Metropolitan Police attend most burglaries, resulting in 1,700 arrests in just 6 weeks during October and November this year.

Serious Violence

Hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object among under 25s – our primary metric for measuring serious violence - have fallen by 22% since December 2019. Our Violence Reduction Unit programme alongside targeted police enforcement activity has prevented over 49,000 violent offences since funding for the programmes began in March 2019. In addition, 260,000 vulnerable young people have been supported through Violence Reduction Units in their second year alone, and 90,000 weapons have been taken off our streets since 2019.

The ‘Grip’ police enforcement programme is supporting the police to take targeted action in parts of England and Wales most affected by serious violence. Grip is helping to drive down violence by using a highly data-driven process to identify violence hotspots – often to individual street level – to target operational activity in those areas.

We are seeing impact in areas we are funding: for instance, hospital admissions for assault with a sharp object amongst under 25s in the Metropolitan Police Force area fell from 465 in 2020/21 to 410 in 2021/22.

Drugs
We know that the drugs trade is at the heart of much of the homicide, serious violence and neighbourhood crime that blight our communities. Our 10-year cross-Government Drug Strategy published in December 2021 includes £300 million of dedicated investment over the next three years, to drive work on tackling drug supply.

We are breaking drug supply chains: our work to tackle the supply of drugs through county lines is already making an impact. Through the County Lines Programme since launching in 2019, Police have closed down more than 2,900 deal lines (including over 500 lines since April 2022) and made over 8,000 arrests. Dedicated specialist services are supporting children and young people and their families to escape county lines exploitation and rebuild their lives.

Drug data from Project ADDER (Addiction, Disruption, Diversion, Enforcement and Recovery), a programme trailblazing a whole system response to combatting drug misuse, shows positive early signs. Between January 2021 and September 2022, the ADDER programme has supported over 1,600 Organised Crime Group disruptions, over 20,500 arrests, and over £7m cash seized. We are also diverting people into treatment and wider support. For example, 12,400 Out of Court Disposals have been offered and over 8,000 naloxone kits distributed in the community.

Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls
Between January 2021 and August 2022, a team of academics conducted sequential deep dives on the police response to rape in 5 police forces: Avon and Somerset Police, the Metropolitan Police Service, Durham Constabulary, West Midlands Police and South Wales Police. A wide range of data and information was gathered and examined during the deep dives - including reviews of case files, observations of investigations and training, focus groups with support services and victims. Following the deep dives, the forces have developed tailored improvement plans to address the findings; which has led to the roll out of Operation Soteria.

We continue to implement the Rape Review Action Plan, investing £6.65 million in Operation Soteria to deliver the national operating model for the investigation of rape for all forces to adopt from June 2023; introducing new powers to stop unnecessary and intrusive requests for victims’ phones; and continuing to work with police forces to ensure they have the capability to return victims’ devices within 24 hours. In the year-ending June 2022, the police recorded 196,889 sexual offences, the highest level recorded within a 12-month period. This is a 21% increase compared to year ending March 2020.

On 15 December, the Government published its third six monthly Rape Review Progress Update, which showed that – although there is still more to do - the Government is on track to meet its Rape Review ambition to more than double the number of adult rape cases reaching court by the end of this parliament. In the most recent data for 2022, the number of cases referred by the police to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) was up 95 percent; the volume of cases charged was up by two-thirds; and the number of cases reaching the Crown Court was up 91 percent compared to 2019 averages.

We have continued to implement the Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) Strategy, the Tackling Domestic Abuse Plan, and have enshrined into law the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. We have introduced new offences relating to non-fatal strangulation, hymenoplasty and virginity testing. We have strengthened protections and support for victims of domestic abuse and the response to perpetrators through the provisions in the Domestic Abuse Act 2021. We have made the regime for managing sex offenders and those that pose a risk of sexual harm more robust through provisions in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts (PCSC) Act 2022.

In January 2020 we introduced Stalking Protection Orders to protect victims of stalking at the earliest possible opportunity; 456 orders were issued in their first year. Extensive work is also under way to launch the pilot for the new Domestic Abuse Protection Notices and Domestic Abuse Protection Orders early next year.

On 25th October, we launched the second phase of our multimedia ‘Enough’ national campaign which promotes safe ways for bystanders to intervene if they witness VAWG. The campaign has reached millions of individuals across England and Wales, with thousands of clicks through to organisations offering support for victims of VAWG.

Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation

We received the final report of the independent inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse after seven years of investigation into institutional failings to properly safeguard children from this most horrific abuse. I commend the bravery of the thousands of victims and survivors for sharing their testimonies and perspectives with the inquiry. We will continue doing everything we can to combat this crime, pursue these vile offenders, bring them to justice, and ensure supports are in place for all victims and survivors to help them build their lives.

Public Order

The Public Order Bill will further enhance the police’s ability to deal with disruptive protests that prevent ordinary people going about their daily lives and divert police resources from communities where they are needed most to prevent serious violence and neighbourhood crime. So far disruptive protests in London alone have taken up over 12,500 police officer shifts. The Metropolitan Police Service have made over 750 arrests since the beginning of October.

Fraud

My department is launching a new fraud strategy including stepping up our response to pursuing and disrupting fraudsters, working with industry to stop frauds, and empower and support victims.

This Government is delivering the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill which will deliver the largest reform to Companies House in recent history. It will give law enforcement and industry the tools to bear down on the use of UK companies as vehicles for economic crime, including fraud. It will also better protect personal information and addresses provided to Companies House.

We have seen the success of the National Crime Agency’s Operation AGADE where we have recovered £54 million of criminal proceeds using a first of its kind Civil Recovery Order.

We have seen Operation Elaborate, the largest anti-fraud operation in the UK to date dismantling a website which was responsible for 3.5 million fraudulent calls in 2022. Involving many agencies and forces, and led by the Metropolitan Police there have been over 100 arrests made across the country so far.

Policing

Police Uplift
The Police Uplift Programme continues to support forces with additional police officers, and we remain on-track to recruit 20,000 additional officers by March 2023. Data published on 30th September 2022 shows that 15,343 additional officers have already been recruited, accounting for 77% of our target. There are now 11 forces with the highest number of officers they have ever had – Cheshire, Dyfed-Powys, Essex, Kent, City of London, the Metropolitan, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, South Wales, Suffolk and Thames Valley.

The police workforce is more representative than ever before. For the first time ever, there are over 50,000 female officers (50,364), as at 30th September 2022, 34.9% of all officers in post. There were 11,477 ethnic minority officers, as at 30th September 2022, 8.2% of all officers in post the highest figures on record.

Police Performance

His Majesty’s Inspectorate for Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) continues to shine a light on force performance. Humberside received an excellent report from their latest inspection, with six “outstanding” grades. Humberside was awarded the “outstanding” grade for preventing crime, treatment of the public, protecting vulnerable people, managing offenders, developing a positive workplace and good use of resources. It received a further two “good” grades and one “adequate” grade.

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has made great strides in getting the basics right. Under strong leadership they are responding faster to emergency calls and halved the number of open investigations since 2021. HMICFRS removed GMP from their “engage” phase in October 2022. I am pleased to see GMP working so constructively with HMICFRS and others to act on their inspection findings. I encourage others to learn from their experience.

Six police forces remain ‘engaged’ by HMICFRS and I expect all forces to make the necessary improvements and work towards restoring public trust and confidence in the police.

Police Culture
We recognise that police culture and standards need to improve to rebuild public trust and confidence. We are bringing forward part two of the Angiolini Inquiry to focus on these issues and are reviewing the process of dismissals to ensure that policing can swiftly remove officers who fall well short of the standards expected of them.

We have commissioned the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to conduct a review of operational productivity in policing, led by Sir Stephen House. This will address issues which may affect the anticipated outcomes from our investment in policing.

We believe that a policing career must be open to talented and committed people from across our communities, including those who do not have a degree or want one. That is why I have commissioned the College of Policing to develop options for a new non-degree entry route. The current transitional non-degree entry route will be kept open in the meantime.

Reducing the risk to homeland security

The Home Office has continued to focus relentlessly on reducing risk across the full range of threats to our homeland security. In October, counter-terrorism police responded swiftly to an attack on a migration facility in Dover that was declared as terrorism.

On 30th October we announced a refresh of the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy, CONTEST. This will ensure we are able to best protect the public from the enduring threat of terrorism. The refresh will maintain clarity and consistency of purpose, and ensure the necessary tools are in place to tackle terrorist hatred and violence.

Our counter-terrorism system never stops learning. Volume 2 of the Manchester Arena Inquiry was published on 3rd November 2022. This covered the emergency services’ response on the night of the attack. The Government will respond fully when all three volumes have been published. However, we are already enhancing our response using the learning from the attacks – for example, in improving joint working between the emergency services - which will feed the refreshment of CONTEST. We have also received the Independent Review of Prevent, which we will look to publish next year alongside the HMG response. We will reflect the lessons and learning from the Shawcross Review, along with those from the numerous inquests, Inquiries and other reviews from recent years through the CONTEST refresh.

I have today issued a further written ministerial statement updating on our progress developing Martyn’s Law, also known as the Protect Duty. This is a significant milestone in the development of this first of its kind piece of legislation, which will keep people safe by scaling up preparedness for, and protection from, terrorist attacks. This legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows. This is a recommendation in Volume One of the Manchester Arena Inquiry. this duty has been tirelessly campaigned for by Figen Murray who tragically lost her son, Martyn, in the Manchester Arena attack. I would like to pay tribute to her alongside all other victims, survivors and those affected by these heinous events.

Access to data is fundamental to the investigation and prosecution of serious crimes. The UK-US Data Access Agreement entered into force on 5th October 2022. This world-first capability will fundamentally change the way we are able to fight serious crime across the UK, including terrorism, organised immigration crime, and child abuse. The Agreement permits certain UK public authorities to obtain data directly from US-based communications service providers. This will allow us to access vital data more quickly than ever before. Operational benefits are already being derived from the Agreement.

Earlier in the year, in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Home Office delivered a transformative package of work through emergency legislation to strengthen financial sanctions legislation, creating new Register of Overseas Entities and reforming Unexplained Wealth Orders.

We are building on that work through the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Bill that was introduced in Parliament on 22nd September 2022. This cracks down even further on kleptocrats, criminals, and terrorists who abuse our open economy and ensures we drive out dirty money from the UK. It strengthens the UK’s reputation as a place where legitimate businesses can thrive and enhances our ability to tackle new and emerging threats like the use of crypto-assets, ransomware and the growth of cyber-enabled fraud.

The National Crime Agency’s Combatting Kleptocracy Cell is also delivering significant success, with nearly 100 disruptions against Putin-linked elites and their enablers. It has frozen over £18 billion worth of assets in the UK. On 1st December 2022 it conducted a major operation to arrest a wealthy Russian businessman on suspicion of offences including money laundering, conspiracy to defraud the Home Office and conspiracy to commit perjury.

The National Security Bill, which is now at its Committee Stage in the House of Lords, represents a fundamental reform of our framework for tackling state threats. It includes a suite of new measures to tackle the full range of modern-day state threats, from sabotage and spying to foreign interference and economic espionage. It will ensure our world-class law enforcement and intelligence agencies have the modern tools, powers, and protections they need to counter those who seek to do the UK harm.

The first meeting of the new Defending Democracy Taskforce took place on 28th November 2022. The Taskforce’s primary focus will be to protect the democratic integrity of the UK from threats of foreign interference. The Taskforce will work across government and with Parliament, the UK Intelligence Community, the devolved administrations, local authorities, and the private sector on the full range of threats facing our democratic institutions.

Tackling illegal migration, removing those with no right to be here, and protecting the vulnerable

This year has been challenging for our efforts to tackle illegal migration due to pressures on the system, particularly due to consistently high numbers of arrivals by small boats and pressures on available accommodation, which have been exacerbated by responding to the war in Ukraine and continued instability in Afghanistan. I will continue to protect the public and keep our borders secure and the British people safe from harm.

The Prime Minister recently set out a range of significant new steps the Government is taking to tackle the challenge of illegal migration including:

A new deal with Albania and changes to our approach to speed up the removal of Albanians with no right to be here. This includes assurance from Albania that they can offer the required protection, in line with our international obligations, to genuine victims of modern slavery, embedding Border Force officers in Tirana Airport, increasing the threshold for people referred to the modern slavery system, establishing a unit to expedite Albanian claims with 400 specialist staff and new country guidance for our caseworkers making it clear that Albania is a safe country.

Establishing a new, permanent unified Small Boats Operational Command with 700 additional dedicated staff to deliver a more coordinated response to tackling crossings, bringing together military, civilian and NCA expertise to coordinate our intelligence, interception, processing, and enforcement.

Clearing the initial asylum decision backlog of legacy cases by the end of next year. We will make an initial decision in all cases that have been outstanding since before 28th June 2022

Plans to bring forward legislation next year to prevent abuse of our legal framework which will make it unambiguously clear that people entering illegally should have no right to stay here, and will be returned to their home country or a safe country for their asylum claim to be considered

Due to the unprecedented number of small boat arrivals and the pressure from COVID-19 on the asylum system it has been necessary to use hotels to accommodate some asylum seekers. This is only ever a short-term solution and we are working with our accommodation providers to find appropriate dispersed accommodation across the UK.

The new UK-French agreement I agreed with my counterpart lays the foundations for deeper co-operation to tackle illegal migration and marks the next step for the close operational partnership between the two countries which has prevented over 31,500 crossings, nearly 50% more than to this point in 2021.

The arrangement means, for the first time, specialist UK officers will also be embedded with their French counterparts, which will increase information-sharing, improve understanding of the threat, and ensure UK expertise is at the heart of efforts to disrupt crossings and clamp down on people-smugglers. This more integrated approach will also include strengthened operational co-operation, including joint UK-France analysis teams supporting the co-ordination and exchange of information by French-command HQ. We have signed the biggest small boats joint bilateral deal with France, we have put the Calais group on a permanent footing showing the importance of this issue to our European partners and we have agreed new levels of intelligence co-operation with our European neighbours.

These measures build on the progress we have made through the year. We have introduced Part 5 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, which provides legislative clarity to victims and decision-makers on victims’ rights, including the entitlement to a recovery period and the circumstances in which it may be withheld.

We continue to return foreign national offenders (FNOs) by scheduled and charter flights. From January 2019 to March 2022, we have removed 11,532 FNOs. Since April 2020, we have chartered 156 flights to Europe and around the World. In the year ending June 2022, there were 3,250 enforced returns, of which 1,600 were to EU countries.

Safe and Legal Routes

We have continued to support those fleeing conflicts abroad, granting Indefinite Leave to Remain to over 11,300 individuals from Afghanistan under ARAP or ACRS Pathway 1.

As of 24th November, 202,710 visas have been granted and 146,222 have arrived in the UK from Ukraine. 59,480 have been granted and 41,093 people have arrived under the Ukraine Family Scheme. 143,230 visas have been granted and 105,129 arrived under the Homes for Ukraine scheme

Through the Hong Kong British National Overseas route, there have been a total of 150,600 applications since its introduction on 31st January 2021 up to the end of September 2022 of which there were 144,576 grants (96%).

Enabling the legitimate movement of people and goods

Passports are about to enter the busy period in January, and plans are well advanced in preparation for that and for a high level of demand forecast across 2023. There was record demand for passport applications this year – with approximately 7.4 million applications processed by the end of October. Service standards have remained high since November and 99.9% of UK standard applications were completed within the 10-week service standard in the week ending 20th November. Every effort is being made to return to the three-week service standard.

The visa service has faced significant demands post-pandemic and following Ukraine and higher than forecast levels of demand. Considering this, it is performing well under pressure, and through supportive contingency measures, standard applications have returned to service standards and we are on track for complex applications to also return to service standards in December.

Despite these challenges staff productivity has remained high, and we continue to manage staff flexibly across services to reduce work in progress to minimal levels for passport and deliver the visa recovery by the year end.

Border Force have seen passenger numbers increase to near pre-pandemic levels by the end of summer and also managed the introduction of post EU exit goods checks and the first full year of EU citizens requiring passports and additional checks. eGates have performed well and IT resilience has been strong enabling over 90% of passengers to cross borders within tolerance levels.

Border Force also reached its annual Target for Cigarette and Tobacco seizures within 7 months of 2022-23/ In October, £35 million in cigarettes and tobacco were seized bringing the YTD total to £255 million (101%) of the annual target of £252 million. On alcohol, Border Force seized £4.3 million, bringing the YTD total to £25.1 million (63%) of the annual target of £40 million.

The FBIS programme has built-up the expertise and capability to reduce significantly the time taken to launch a brand-new visa route or to amend criteria for existing visa applications.

We have made significant progress in digitising the immigration system. We are increasingly replacing physical and paper-based products and services with accessible, easy to use online and digital services. This has provided applicants with an easy online application process, including providing biometrics and establishing or verifying identity using their smartphones. A fully digital application process has been delivered for the BN(O) route and some points-based system routes and now for Ukraine schemes.

All these achievements have been delivered against a challenging background and represent a significant effort across the Home Office in continuing to deliver on the people’s priorities. The Home Office remains committed to keeping the public safe, protecting our borders, and countering hostile state threats.

Answering body: Prime Minister

The Government agreed with the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) in December 2013 that it would enquire into the themes and issues identified in Sir Peter Gibson’s Detainee Inquiry Report, take further evidence and produce a report. The ISC has now concluded its work and their report on detainee mistreatment and rendition issues has today been laid in Parliament. It is in two parts: the first on the period 2001 to 2010; the second on current issues.

The Government welcomes the publication of the ISC’s reports. It is important to begin by noting the context in which the Government, including the Security and Intelligence Agencies and Armed Forces, was working in the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001 and the deployments of Armed Forces personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan. The UK responded, alongside its international partners, to the tragic events of 9/11 with the aim of doing everything possible to prevent further loss of innocent life, both here and overseas. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the priority again was preventing loss of life.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that UK personnel were working within a new and challenging operating environment for which, in some cases, they were not prepared. It took too long to recognise that guidance and training for staff was inadequate, and too long to understand fully and take appropriate action on the risks arising from our engagement with international partners on detainee issues. The Agencies responded to what they thought were isolated allegations and incidents of mistreatment, but the ISC concludes that they should have realised the extent to which others were using unacceptable practices as part of a systematic programme. The Agencies acknowledge that they did not fully understand this quickly enough and they regret not doing so.

UK personnel are bound by applicable principles of domestic and international law. The Government does not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (CIDT) for any purpose. The ISC has noted, in the context of its historical report, a number of cases where intelligence and Armed Forces personnel are alleged to have threatened individuals in foreign detention. Such alleged behaviour is clearly unacceptable and the ISC’s Current Issues report recognises that improvements have been made to operational processes, fostering a greater awareness of risks and establishing enhanced oversight in relation to detainee issues.

Since 2010, UK intelligence and Armed Forces personnel have operated under the published Consolidated Guidance. It provides direction for UK personnel and governs their interaction with detainees held by others overseas and the handling of intelligence derived from them. As the ISC acknowledges, very few countries in the world have attempted to set out their approach to these matters, and let themselves be held accountable in this manner, and it is to the Security and Intelligence Agencies’ and Ministry of Defence’s credit that they have embedded these procedures and ensure that their personnel follow them carefully when dealing with detainees held by others. It is coupled with a world-leading independent oversight regime, underpinned by the Justice and Security Act 2013 and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. This has given enhanced powers to the Intelligence and Security Committee to oversee the activities of the Security and Intelligence Agencies, alongside the statutory role of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Adrian Fulford.

Working closely with international partners is an essential part of keeping this country and its people safe. In doing so UK personnel seek assurances from those countries on their treatment of individuals and make clear the UK’s position on torture and CIDT. Detainee-related work remains important and at times difficult, but intelligence and Armed Forces personnel are now much better placed to meet that challenge. The lessons from what happened in the aftermath of the appalling terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 are to be found in improved operational policy and practice, better guidance and training, and an enhanced oversight and legal framework. We should be proud of the work done by our intelligence and service personnel, often in the most difficult circumstances, but it is only right that they should be held to the highest possible standards in protecting our national security.

The Government will give further consideration to the ISC’s conclusions and recommendations, noting that it has expressed a number of concerns about the Consolidated Guidance, but has said that these should be read in the spirit of continuous improvement. Formal oversight responsibility for the Consolidated Guidance rests with the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, following my direction to him under section 230 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, with effect from 1 September 2017. I am therefore inviting Sir Adrian to make proposals to the Government about how the Guidance could be improved, taking account of the ISC’s views and those of civil society.

The Government will consider the reports in full and respond formally in due course.

Answering body: Leader of the House of Lords

My Rt Hon. Friend the Prime Minister has made the following statement to the House of Commons:

The Government agreed with the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament (ISC) in December 2013 that it would enquire into the themes and issues identified in Sir Peter Gibson’s Detainee Inquiry Report, take further evidence and produce a report. The ISC has now concluded its work and their report on detainee mistreatment and rendition issues has today been laid in Parliament. It is in two parts: the first on the period 2001 to 2010; the second on current issues.

The Government welcomes the publication of the ISC’s reports. It is important to begin by noting the context in which the Government, including the Security and Intelligence Agencies and Armed Forces, was working in the immediate aftermath of 11 September 2001 and the deployments of Armed Forces personnel to Iraq and Afghanistan. The UK responded, alongside its international partners, to the tragic events of 9/11 with the aim of doing everything possible to prevent further loss of innocent life, both here and overseas. In Iraq and Afghanistan, the priority again was preventing loss of life.

With the benefit of hindsight, it is clear that UK personnel were working within a new and challenging operating environment for which, in some cases, they were not prepared. It took too long to recognise that guidance and training for staff was inadequate, and too long to understand fully and take appropriate action on the risks arising from our engagement with international partners on detainee issues. The Agencies responded to what they thought were isolated allegations and incidents of mistreatment, but the ISC concludes that they should have realised the extent to which others were using unacceptable practices as part of a systematic programme. The Agencies acknowledge that they did not fully understand this quickly enough and they regret not doing so.

UK personnel are bound by applicable principles of domestic and international law. The Government does not participate in, solicit, encourage or condone the use of torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (CIDT) for any purpose. The ISC has noted, in the context of its historical report, a number of cases where intelligence and Armed Forces personnel are alleged to have threatened individuals in foreign detention. Such alleged behaviour is clearly unacceptable and the ISC’s Current Issues report recognises that improvements have been made to operational processes, fostering a greater awareness of risks and establishing enhanced oversight in relation to detainee issues.

Since 2010, UK intelligence and Armed Forces personnel have operated under the published Consolidated Guidance. It provides direction for UK personnel and governs their interaction with detainees held by others overseas and the handling of intelligence derived from them. As the ISC acknowledges, very few countries in the world have attempted to set out their approach to these matters, and let themselves be held accountable in this manner, and it is to the Security and Intelligence Agencies’ and Ministry of Defence’s credit that they have embedded these procedures and ensure that their personnel follow them carefully when dealing with detainees held by others. It is coupled with a world-leading independent oversight regime, underpinned by the Justice and Security Act 2013 and the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. This has given enhanced powers to the Intelligence and Security Committee to oversee the activities of the Security and Intelligence Agencies, alongside the statutory role of the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, Sir Adrian Fulford.

Working closely with international partners is an essential part of keeping this country and its people safe. In doing so UK personnel seek assurances from those countries on their treatment of individuals and make clear the UK’s position on torture and CIDT. Detainee-related work remains important and at times difficult, but intelligence and Armed Forces personnel are now much better placed to meet that challenge. The lessons from what happened in the aftermath of the appalling terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001 are to be found in improved operational policy and practice, better guidance and training, and an enhanced oversight and legal framework. We should be proud of the work done by our intelligence and service personnel, often in the most difficult circumstances, but it is only right that they should be held to the highest possible standards in protecting our national security.

The Government will give further consideration to the ISC’s conclusions and recommendations, noting that it has expressed a number of concerns about the Consolidated Guidance, but has said that these should be read in the spirit of continuous improvement. Formal oversight responsibility for the Consolidated Guidance rests with the Investigatory Powers Commissioner, following my direction to him under section 230 of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016, with effect from 1 September 2017. I am therefore inviting Sir Adrian to make proposals to the Government about how the Guidance could be improved, taking account of the ISC’s views and those of civil society.

The Government will consider the reports in full and respond formally in due course.

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

My Honourable friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, and I wish to make the last in our series of quarterly joint statements on the progress of coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel who have died on active service overseas. As in all of our statements, we wish to express our continuing gratitude to all those members of the Armed Forces who have served or are now serving overseas for their bravery, professionalism, and commitment to service. Our thoughts are especially with the families and loved ones of those who have given their lives in this service.

This statement provides information on the inquests conducted by the Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Swindon, and other coroner areas in England and Wales as at 13 April 2016.

Additional, supplemental, tables have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, which give the status and details of all current and previous cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (formerly known as a Board of Inquiry).

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Inquests Unit continues to work with coroners (including the cadre of coroners specially trained to conduct investigations and inquests into the deaths of service personnel), with the aim of ensuring that investigations are thorough and that inquests are timely and effective. Under section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 investigations may now be held in Scotland, where appropriate.

Since 2007 our two departments have provided funding for the additional resources required by the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and Swindon coroner services, as service personnel who have lost their lives overseas have been repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Coroners have thus been able to conduct investigations into these deaths as well as their local caseload.

We are sincerely grateful to all to those who support and assist bereaved families during this process, particularly coroners and their staff who unfailingly conduct their investigations with families at their heart, and the Chief Coroner who continues to provide leadership and oversight of coroner services.

Current status of inquests

Since our previous statement on 10 September last year, the inquests into the deaths of the five servicemen who died in the Lynx helicopter crash on 26 April 2014 have been held by the Oxfordshire Coroner. A total of 629 inquests have therefore now been held into the deaths of service personnel on active service in Iraq or Afghanistan, or who have died in the UK from injuries sustained while on active service. There are three cases where the death of an injured serviceman did not lead to a formal inquest, although two of these were taken into consideration at inquests into other deaths that occurred in the same incidents. The third death was of a serviceman in Scotland who made a partial recovery but later died from his injuries, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry was not held.

Coroners’ investigations which remain open

As at 13 April 2016, there remain only two open coroner investigations into the deaths of service personnel in Afghanistan. The first relates to the death of Lance Corporal James Brynin on 13 October 2013. The Senior Coroner for West Sussex opened the inquest on 10 March 2016, and subsequently adjourned the hearing pending a police investigation into the death. The Coroner hopes to reconvene the hearing in September this year. The second is that of the death of Sapper Adam Moralee on 5 March 2014. This death is currently subject to a police investigation, and it is not known when this investigation and any subsequent action may be concluded.

An investigation is also open into the death of Private Jamie Sawyer who died while serving on the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. The Senior Coroner for Birmingham is currently responsible for the investigation of the death, which is on hold while a prosecution takes place in Cyprus.

With the exception of the two inquests mentioned above, which are not expected to be completed for some time, all operational inquests relating to Iraq and Afghanistan have now been completed, and this will therefore be the last of our series of statements on this topic. Our sympathy and condolences go out to the families and friends of Lance Corporal Brynin and Sapper Moralee, and we mean no disrespect to their memory in taking the decision not to provide further updates.

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice (Caroline Dinenage) has made the following Written Statement.

"My Honourable friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, and I wish to make the last in our series of quarterly joint statements on the progress of coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel who have died on active service overseas. As in all of our statements, we wish to express our continuing gratitude to all those members of the Armed Forces who have served or are now serving overseas for their bravery, professionalism, and commitment to service. Our thoughts are especially with the families and loved ones of those who have given their lives in this service.

This statement provides information on the inquests conducted by the Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Swindon, and other coroner areas in England and Wales as at 13 April 2016.

Additional, supplemental, tables have also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses, which give the status and details of all current and previous cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (formerly known as a Board of Inquiry).

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Inquests Unit continues to work with coroners (including the cadre of coroners specially trained to conduct investigations and inquests into the deaths of service personnel), with the aim of ensuring that investigations are thorough and that inquests are timely and effective. Under section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 investigations may now be held in Scotland, where appropriate.

Since 2007 our two departments have provided funding for the additional resources required by the Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and Swindon coroner services, as service personnel who have lost their lives overseas have been repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. Coroners have thus been able to conduct investigations into these deaths as well as their local caseload.

We are sincerely grateful to all to those who support and assist bereaved families during this process, particularly coroners and their staff who unfailingly conduct their investigations with families at their heart, and the Chief Coroner who continues to provide leadership and oversight of coroner services.

Current status of inquests

Since our previous statement on 10 September last year, the inquests into the deaths of the five servicemen who died in the Lynx helicopter crash on 26 April 2014 have been held by the Oxfordshire Coroner. A total of 629 inquests have therefore now been held into the deaths of service personnel on active service in Iraq or Afghanistan, or who have died in the UK from injuries sustained while on active service. There are three cases where the death of an injured serviceman did not lead to a formal inquest, although two of these were taken into consideration at inquests into other deaths that occurred in the same incidents. The third death was of a serviceman in Scotland who made a partial recovery but later died from his injuries, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry was not held.

Coroners’ investigations which remain open

As at 13 April 2016, there remain only two open coroner investigations into the deaths of service personnel in Afghanistan. The first relates to the death of Lance Corporal James Brynin on 13 October 2013. The Senior Coroner for West Sussex opened the inquest on 10 March 2016, and subsequently adjourned the hearing pending a police investigation into the death. The Coroner hopes to reconvene the hearing in September this year. The second is that of the death of Sapper Adam Moralee on 5 March 2014. This death is currently subject to a police investigation, and it is not known when this investigation and any subsequent action may be concluded.

An investigation is also open into the death of Private Jamie Sawyer who died while serving on the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. The Senior Coroner for Birmingham is currently responsible for the investigation of the death, which is on hold while a prosecution takes place in Cyprus."

With the exception of the two inquests mentioned above, which are not expected to be completed for some time, all operational inquests relating to Iraq and Afghanistan have now been completed, and this will therefore be the last of our series of statements on this topic. Our sympathy and condolences go out to the families and friends of Lance Corporal Brynin and Sapper Moralee, and we mean no disrespect to their memory in taking the decision not to provide further updates."

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

My Honourable friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, and I now present the latest of our joint statements on the progress of coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel on active service overseas. We wish to express the Government’s and the nation’s continued deep sense of gratitude to the brave members of the Armed Forces who have served on our behalf. We particularly acknowledge the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in this service and the loved ones they have left behind.

This statement provides details on the progress of investigations conducted by the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire, for Wiltshire and Swindon and for other coroner areas in England and Wales as at 26 August 2015.

There is also additional information to supplement this statement in tables which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and which give details of all cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (formerly known as a Board of Inquiry).

The Defence Inquests Unit of the Ministry of Defence continues to work with coroners (including the specially trained cadre of coroners), to make sure that investigations are thorough and that inquests are timely and effective. Section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 now allows investigations to be held in Scotland, where appropriate.

We offer our sincere thanks to those who support and assist bereaved families; to coroners and their staff who conduct thorough investigations with such families at their heart; and to the Chief Coroner who provides leadership and oversight of the coroner service.

Our two departments have provided funding for the additional resources required by the coroners in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and Swindon since 2007 as service personnel who have lost their lives overseas have been repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. This has enabled the coroners to conduct investigations into these deaths while still dealing with their local caseload.

Current status of inquests

No further inquests have been concluded into deaths of service personnel on operations in Iraq or Afghanistan since our last statement on 4 June. Therefore the total number of inquests into the deaths of service personnel who have died on active service in Iraq or Afghanistan, or who have died in the UK of injuries sustained on active service remains at 624. Three deaths of injured service personnel did not lead to a formal inquest although two of these were taken into consideration at inquests into other deaths which occurred in the same incidents. The third death was of a serviceman in Scotland who made a partial recovery but later died from his injuries, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry was not held.

Coroners’ investigations which remain open

As at 26 August, there remain seven open coroner investigations into the deaths of service personnel in Afghanistan. Five of these relate to the Lynx helicopter crash on 26 April 2014 and have been retained by the Senior Oxfordshire Coroner. A pre-inquest hearing for this case is scheduled for 24 November 2015 with an inquest scheduled for 7-18 March 2016. The other two outstanding investigations, into the death of Lance Corporal James Brynin on 13 October 2013 and Sapper Adam Moralee on 5 March 2014 are being conducted by the Senior Coroners for West Sussex and for Gateshead and South Tyneside whose courts are closer to the next of kin. A pre-inquest hearing date of 2 October 2015 has been confirmed for Lance Corporal Brynin. Hearing dates have not yet been listed for Sapper Moralee.

An investigation is also open into the death of Private Jamie Sawyer who died while serving on the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. This investigation is being conducted by HM Senior Coroner for Birmingham and an inquest has been scheduled for 1-2 December 2015.

We will continue to inform the House of progress.

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice, Minister for Women, Equalities and Family Justice (Caroline Dinenage) has made the following Written Statement.

"My Honourable friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, and I now present the latest of our joint statements on the progress of coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel on active service overseas. We wish to express the Government’s and the nation’s continued deep sense of gratitude to the brave members of the Armed Forces who have served on our behalf. We particularly acknowledge the sacrifice of those who have given their lives in this service and the loved ones they have left behind.

This statement provides details on the progress of investigations conducted by the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire, for Wiltshire and Swindon and for other coroner areas in England and Wales as at 26 August 2015.

There is also additional information to supplement this statement in tables which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses and which give details of all cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (formerly known as a Board of Inquiry).

The Defence Inquests Unit of the Ministry of Defence continues to work with coroners (including the specially trained cadre of coroners), to make sure that investigations are thorough and that inquests are timely and effective. Section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 now allows investigations to be held in Scotland, where appropriate.

We offer our sincere thanks to those who support and assist bereaved families; to coroners and their staff who conduct thorough investigations with such families at their heart; and to the Chief Coroner who provides leadership and oversight of the coroner service.

Our two departments have provided funding for the additional resources required by the coroners in Oxfordshire and Wiltshire and Swindon since 2007 as service personnel who have lost their lives overseas have been repatriated to RAF Lyneham in Wiltshire and RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. This has enabled the coroners to conduct investigations into these deaths while still dealing with their local caseload.

Current status of inquests

No further inquests have been concluded into deaths of service personnel on operations in Iraq or Afghanistan since our last statement on 4 June. Therefore the total number of inquests into the deaths of service personnel who have died on active service in Iraq or Afghanistan, or who have died in the UK of injuries sustained on active service remains at 624. Three deaths of injured service personnel did not lead to a formal inquest although two of these were taken into consideration at inquests into other deaths which occurred in the same incidents. The third death was of a serviceman in Scotland who made a partial recovery but later died from his injuries, and a Fatal Accident Inquiry was not held.

Coroners’ investigations which remain open

As at 26 August, there remain seven open coroner investigations into the deaths of service personnel in Afghanistan. Five of these relate to the Lynx helicopter crash on 26 April 2014 and have been retained by the Senior Oxfordshire Coroner. A pre-inquest hearing for this case is scheduled for 24 November 2015 with an inquest scheduled for 7-18 March 2016. The other two outstanding investigations, into the death of Lance Corporal James Brynin on 13 October 2013 and Sapper Adam Moralee on 5 March 2014 are being conducted by the Senior Coroners for West Sussex and for Gateshead and South Tyneside whose courts are closer to the next of kin. A pre-inquest hearing date of 2 October 2015 has been confirmed for Lance Corporal Brynin. Hearing dates have not yet been listed for Sapper Moralee.

An investigation is also open into the death of Private Jamie Sawyer who died while serving on the UN peacekeeping mission in Cyprus. This investigation is being conducted by HM Senior Coroner for Birmingham and an inquest has been scheduled for 1-2 December 2015.

We will continue to inform the House of progress."

Answering body: Ministry of Defence

I wish to inform the House of the findings of the Service Inquiry into the accident involving an Army Lynx helicopter (Mark 9A variant) on 26th April 2014, in which Captain Thomas Clarke, Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan, Warrant Officer Class 2 Spencer Faulkner, Corporal James Walters and Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas tragically died. On the day of the accident, the aircraft was conducting a training sortie when it crashed approximately 20 km south of Kandahar Airfield in the Chaghray Ghar Valley, Afghanistan.

A Service Inquiry was convened by the Director General of the Military Aviation Authority (now the Director General of the Defence Safety Authority as of 1 April 2015) to establish the cause and examine those factors which contributed to the accident, and in order to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence and enhance Air Safety. The Service Inquiry Panel has conducted an independent, thorough and objective Inquiry and their report is now complete. Copies have already been provided to the Next of Kin, HM Coroner for Oxfordshire and relevant personnel and units in Defence to ensure the timely dissemination of the Air Safety lessons contained within it.

A copy of the Service Inquiry Report, redacted in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, is also being placed in the Library of the House today and on the gov.uk website. Our deepest sympathies remain with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.

Answering body: Ministry of Defence

My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mr Mark Lancaster) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

I wish to inform the House of the findings of the Service Inquiry into the accident involving an Army Lynx helicopter (Mark 9A variant) on 26th April 2014, in which Captain Thomas Clarke, Flight Lieutenant Rakesh Chauhan, Warrant Officer Class 2 Spencer Faulkner, Corporal James Walters and Lance Corporal Oliver Thomas tragically died. On the day of the accident, the aircraft was conducting a training sortie when it crashed approximately 20 km south of Kandahar Airfield in the Chaghray Ghar Valley, Afghanistan.

A Service Inquiry was convened by the Director General of the Military Aviation Authority (now the Director General of the Defence Safety Authority as of 1 April 2015) to establish the cause and examine those factors which contributed to the accident, and in order to make recommendations to prevent a recurrence and enhance Air Safety. The Service Inquiry Panel has conducted an independent, thorough and objective Inquiry and their report is now complete. Copies have already been provided to the Next of Kin, HM Coroner for Oxfordshire and relevant personnel and units in Defence to ensure the timely dissemination of the Air Safety lessons contained within it.

A copy of the Service Inquiry Report, redacted in accordance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, is also being placed in the Library of the House today and on the gov.uk website. Our deepest sympathies remain with the families of those who lost their lives in this tragic accident.

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

My Honourable friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women, Equalities and Family Justice (Caroline Dinenage MP) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement:

"Together with my Honourable friend the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, I present our latest joint statement on the progress of coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel on active service overseas. Our Armed Forces demonstrate great courage, commitment and self-sacrifice in their service to our country, and it is right that they receive our heartfelt gratitude. Most of all we remember and honour those who have laid down their lives in the service of their country, and the families they leave behind.

This statement sets out the progress of investigations being held by the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire, for Wiltshire and Swindon and for other coroner areas in England and Wales as at 22 May 2015.

Tables to supplement this report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These give details of all cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (known as a Board of Inquiry in the earlier years covered).

The Defence Inquests Unit of the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with coroners (including the dedicated cadre of coroners with special training in service personnel inquests), to make sure that everything possible is done to progress and complete investigations quickly and thoroughly. There is now provision under Section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for investigations to be held in Scotland, where appropriate, rather than in England and Wales.

We are thankful to all who are involved in the course of these investigations: to those who provide support and assistance to bereaved families; to the coroners and their staff who seek to conduct thorough investigations which put the bereaved families at their heart; and for the Chief Coroner for his leadership and oversight of the coroner service.

Repatriations of service personnel who have died overseas have mainly taken place at RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham. To enable the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire and for Wiltshire and Swindon to conduct inquests into these deaths alongside their local caseload, additional funding has been provided to both areas since 2007 by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice.

Current status of inquests

Since our last statement on 29 January 2015 there have been six inquests into the deaths of service personnel on operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. This brings the total of inquests into the deaths of service personnel who have died on active service in Iraq or Afghanistan or who have died in the UK of injuries sustained on active service to 624. Three deaths of injured service personnel have not led to a formal inquest. Two of these were taken into consideration at inquests into other deaths which occurred in the same incidents. The third case concerned a serviceman in Scotland who made a partial recovery but later died from his injuries, and it was decided not to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry.

Coroners’ investigations which have been opened

As at 22 May, seven coroner investigations are open into the deaths of service personnel in Afghanistan.

The Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire has retained five of these. The other two investigations are being conducted by the Senior Coroners for Gateshead and South Tyneside and for West Sussex, whose courts are closer to the next of kin. A pre-inquest hearing date of 2 November 2015 has been set for one of these inquests. Hearing dates have not yet been listed for the remaining six inquests.

We will continue to inform the House of progress."

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

Together with my Honourable friend the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, I present our latest joint statement on the progress of coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel on active service overseas. Our Armed Forces demonstrate great courage, commitment and self-sacrifice in their service to our country, and it is right that they receive our heartfelt gratitude. Most of all we remember and honour those who have laid down their lives in the service of their country, and the families they leave behind.

This statement sets out the progress of investigations being held by the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire, for Wiltshire and Swindon and for other coroner areas in England and Wales as at 22 May 2015.

Tables to supplement this report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These give details of all cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (known as a Board of Inquiry in the earlier years covered).

The Defence Inquests Unit of the Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with coroners (including the dedicated cadre of coroners with special training in service personnel inquests), to make sure that everything possible is done to progress and complete investigations quickly and thoroughly. There is now provision under Section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 for investigations to be held in Scotland, where appropriate, rather than in England and Wales.

We are thankful to all who are involved in the course of these investigations: to those who provide support and assistance to bereaved families; to the coroners and their staff who seek to conduct thorough investigations which put the bereaved families at their heart; and for the Chief Coroner for his leadership and oversight of the coroner service.

Repatriations of service personnel who have died overseas have mainly taken place at RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham. To enable the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire and for Wiltshire and Swindon to conduct inquests into these deaths alongside their local caseload, additional funding has been provided to both areas since 2007 by the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice.

Current status of inquests

Since our last statement on 29 January 2015 there have been six inquests into the deaths of service personnel on operations in Iraq or Afghanistan. This brings the total of inquests into the deaths of service personnel who have died on active service in Iraq or Afghanistan or who have died in the UK of injuries sustained on active service to 624. Three deaths of injured service personnel have not led to a formal inquest. Two of these were taken into consideration at inquests into other deaths which occurred in the same incidents. The third case concerned a serviceman in Scotland who made a partial recovery but later died from his injuries, and it was decided not to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry.

Coroners’ investigations which have been opened

As at 22 May, seven coroner investigations are open into the deaths of service personnel in Afghanistan.

The Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire has retained five of these. The other two investigations are being conducted by the Senior Coroners for Gateshead and South Tyneside and for West Sussex, whose courts are closer to the next of kin. A pre-inquest hearing date of 2 November 2015 has been set for one of these inquests. Hearing dates have not yet been listed for the remaining six inquests.

We will continue to inform the House of progress.

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties (Simon Hughes) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.

"Together with my Honourable friend the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, I present the latest of our joint statements in which we report progress with coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel resulting from active service overseas. Once again we take the opportunity to honour our Armed Forces and to thank every one of them for all that they willingly give on behalf of us all. Most of all we remember those who have sacrificed their lives, and the families who have to try to live without them.

Our statement gives the position at 23 January 2015 on open investigations conducted by the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Swindon and other coroner areas in England and Wales.

Once again we have placed tables of supplementary information in the Libraries of both Houses. These show the status of all cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (known during the earlier years covered as a Board of Inquiry).

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Inquests Unit continues to assist coroners (including a cadre of coroners who have had special training in handling service personnel inquests) to make sure that everything possible is done to progress and complete investigations quickly and thoroughly. If on any future occasion it would be appropriate for an investigation into the death of a UK service person resulting from active service overseas to be held in Scotland rather than England or Wales, Section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 makes provision for this.

Coroners and their staff have to combine compassion and rigour, carry out a determined search for the truth with sensitivity and understanding. We thank them for all their work on service personnel deaths. Again we must thank the Chief Coroner for his work with coroners to improve processes, and once more we express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supports and informs bereaved families throughout the investigation.

Since 2007 the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice have jointly made additional funding available to assist the senior coroners for Oxfordshire and for Wiltshire and Swindon. Repatriations of service personnel who have died overseas have mainly taken place within those coroner areas, at RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham respectively. The additional funding enables the senior coroners to conduct service personnel inquests in balance with the local caseload.

Current status of inquests

Since our last statement on 30 October 2014 there have been 4 inquests into the deaths of service personnel on operations. They bring the total of inquests into the deaths of service personnel who have died on active service or who have died in the UK of injuries sustained on active service to 618. No formal inquest has been held into three deaths of injured service personnel in Scotland. Two of these deaths were taken into consideration at inquests into deaths which happened in the same incidents. In the third case a serviceman had made a partial recovery but died from his injuries, and it was decided not to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry.

Coroners’ investigations which have been opened

Deaths in Afghanistan

As at 23 January, 13 coroner investigations are open into the deaths of service personnel on operations.

The Senior Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon has retained 6 of the open investigations, while the Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire has retained 5. Senior Coroners for areas closer to the next-of-kin are handling the other 2 open coroner investigations. 6 hearing dates have been listed.

We will continue to inform the House of progress."

Answering body: Ministry of Justice

Together with my Honourable friend the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, I present the latest of our joint statements in which we report progress with coroner investigations into the deaths of UK service personnel resulting from active service overseas. Once again we take the opportunity to honour our Armed Forces and to thank every one of them for all that they willingly give on behalf of us all. Most of all we remember those who have sacrificed their lives, and the families who have to try to live without them.

Our statement gives the position at 23 January 2015 on open investigations conducted by the Senior Coroners for Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Swindon and other coroner areas in England and Wales.

Once again we have placed tables of supplementary information in the Libraries of both Houses. These show the status of all cases, including whether there has been or will be a Service Inquiry (known during the earlier years covered as a Board of Inquiry).

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Inquests Unit continues to assist coroners (including a cadre of coroners who have had special training in handling service personnel inquests) to make sure that everything possible is done to progress and complete investigations quickly and thoroughly. If on any future occasion it would be appropriate for an investigation into the death of a UK service person resulting from active service overseas to be held in Scotland rather than England or Wales, Section 12 of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 makes provision for this.

Coroners and their staff have to combine compassion and rigour, carry out a determined search for the truth with sensitivity and understanding. We thank them for all their work on service personnel deaths. Again we must thank the Chief Coroner for his work with coroners to improve processes, and once more we express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supports and informs bereaved families throughout the investigation.

Since 2007 the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Justice have jointly made additional funding available to assist the senior coroners for Oxfordshire and for Wiltshire and Swindon. Repatriations of service personnel who have died overseas have mainly taken place within those coroner areas, at RAF Brize Norton and RAF Lyneham respectively. The additional funding enables the senior coroners to conduct service personnel inquests in balance with the local caseload.

Current status of inquests

Since our last statement on 30 October 2014 there have been 4 inquests into the deaths of service personnel on operations. They bring the total of inquests into the deaths of service personnel who have died on active service or who have died in the UK of injuries sustained on active service to 618. No formal inquest has been held into three deaths of injured service personnel in Scotland. Two of these deaths were taken into consideration at inquests into deaths which happened in the same incidents. In the third case a serviceman had made a partial recovery but died from his injuries, and it was decided not to hold a Fatal Accident Inquiry.

Coroners’ investigations which have been opened

Deaths in Afghanistan

As at 23 January, 13 coroner investigations are open into the deaths of service personnel on operations.

The Senior Coroner for Wiltshire and Swindon has retained 6 of the open investigations, while the Senior Coroner for Oxfordshire has retained 5. Senior Coroners for areas closer to the next-of-kin are handling the other 2 open coroner investigations. 6 hearing dates have been listed.

We will continue to inform the House of progress.