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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the additional cost to public funds was in (a) legal costs incurred by the (i) Government and (ii) applicants and (b) damages awarded to the applicants by the decision to continue to contest cases relating to homosexuals in the armed forces (i) between 16 February 1996 and 1 May 1997 and (ii) after 2 May 1997. [138466] Mr. Spellar: Compensation and legal costs have been paid in the four cases covered by the European Court of Human Rights judgment of 27 September 1999 and the figures are shown in the table. In addition, in light of the ECHR judgment, the Secretary of State for Defence authorised that settlement negotiations commence with those individuals discharged from the armed forces as a result of their homosexuality who had submitted Employment Tribunal applications and whose account is accepted as being substantially factually true. The level of compensation paid to those applicants who settled their cases during the periods in question, together with legal costs incurred by the Minister of Defence, are also shown in the table. Legal costs incurred by Employment Tribunal applicants are not normally recoverable from the Defendant and therefore the Ministry of Defence has no record of such costs. Settlement negotiations on the remainder of the outstanding cases remain ongoing. £ _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 16 February 1996 to 1 May 1997 2 May 1997 to date Compensation paid in ECHR cases 0 324,875 Claimants' legal costs paid in ECHR cases 0 81,200 Compensation paid to ET applicants 0 79,000 Legal costs incurred by the Ministry of 12,090 156,507 Defence _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

356 c745W; 138466

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Compensation Armed forces Damages Homosexuality Legal costs Judgements European Court of Human Rights

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk