Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many cases have been opened as part of Operation Northmoor; and how many of those cases have been (a) closed and (b) remain ongoing.

Our Armed Forces are rightly held to the highest standards and credible, serious allegations of criminal behaviour must be investigated, in accordance with the Armed Forces Act 2006. Operation Northmoor is an independent investigation conducted by the Royal Military Police (RMP). It has discounted over 90% of the 675 allegations received because there was no evidence of a criminal or disciplinary offence. To date no case has been referred to the Service Prosecuting Authority but the investigations continue and the investigators will follow the evidence where it leads them. The RMP has full investigative independence and the Ministry of Defence has not influenced in any way the scope and duration of Operation Northmoor.