Asked by: Duncan Hames (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the Service complaints system.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The outgoing Commissioner, Dr Susan Atkins, and I are confident that an effective and fair complaints system has been agreed and is contained in the Bill now going through Parliament. It is one that will give Service Personnel access to a redress system they deserve.
Last Tuesday, I was delighted to announce that Nicola Williams is the Government’s preferred candidate for the post of Service Complaints Commissioner, and she will now go forward to a House of Commons Defence Committee pre-appointment hearing on Wednesday 26 November. She is an outstanding candidate and I am sure she will undertake the role with great vigour and insight.
Asked by: Duncan Hames (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve the service complaints system.
Answered by Anna Soubry
Service personnel deserve to have a fair and effective complaints system. I announced in March that we had been working for some time with Dr Atkins, the Service Complaints Commissioner, on proposals for a more efficient system.
In her most recent report, Dr Atkins concluded that she was optimistic that a fairer, more effective system has been agreed, and that, once implemented, Service personnel will have access to a redress system that they deserve. The bill introduced in the House of Lords on 5th June 2014 will improve the system to make sure that is what they will get.