| answer text |
<p>The Service Justice Board concerns itself with ensuring that the Service Justice
System provides a fair system of justice for those who are alleged to have breached
Service Law, and that the system is also able to support the Chain of Command in delivering
operational effectiveness; the Service Complaints Ombudsman is not a member.</p><p>
</p><p>The Service Complaints Ombudsman is provided with an annual budget from defence
funds which, under the financial delegation given to her, is used to meet all the
costs associated with her independent function; this includes the procurement of any
legal advice. The amount spent by the Ombudsman’s office on legal advice varies year
on year, and is detailed in the financial expenditure statements in her annual reports
to Parliament on the fairness, effectiveness and efficiency of the Service Complaints
system. These reports – and those submitted by the Service Complaints Commissioner,
can be found at the following address:</p><p> </p><p>http://www.servicecomplaintsombudsman.org.uk/service-complaints-ombudsman/publications-and-reports/annual-reports/.</p><p>
</p><p>The Annual Report for 2018 will be available in the first quarter of 2019.</p><p>
</p><p>It will take time to collate the detailed information requested on investigation
officers and I will write to the hon. Member in due course.</p><p> </p>
|
|
