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Army Barracks (Deaths)

Thank you for allowing me to contribute to this debate, Mrs. Anderson. I congratulate the hon. Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on securing it, and on the way in which she presented her case. It has been a thoughtful and interesting debate. Families put their trust in the Army to care for their children, and, as we know, in many cases soldiers are children. Many are plucked straight from school, from which they could return to the comfort of their homes every night. The change is a shock in itself. The new regime can be trying to even the most hardened. We all appreciate that serving in our armed forces is no picnic. Preparing for the brutalities of war requires preparation, endeavour, grit and talent. Young men and women return from the Army, having left only a few months earlier as boys and girls. According to Amnesty International, between 1990 and 2003 some 1,748 members of the UK armed forces lost their lives through non-natural causes in or around barracks. Of those, 200 deaths were self-inflicted. Between 1984 and 2005, some 638 suicides occurred amongst members of the UK regular armed forces. Overall, the male suicide rates in the UK armed forces were statistically lower than in the general UK population. The exception was among Army males aged under 20, who had an increased risk of about 50 per cent. Often, we can only speculate on the reasons for each of those deaths, but perhaps there are a few indicators. Last year's Army continuous attitude survey found that two out of three soldiers do not feel valued by the Army, and one in four say that their morale is low or very low. Over half of all soldiers are not satisfied with their accommodation, and 44 per cent. say that Army life is worse or much worse than they expected. A staggering 8 per cent. of soldiers say that they have been bullied in the past 12 months. That equates to more than 7,000 personnel. Crucially, of those soldiers who complained about unfair treatment, discrimination, harassment or bullying in the past 12 months, 77 per cent. were not satisfied with how the complaint was handled. The deaths at Deepcut have sent shockwaves throughout the armed forces, the Ministry of Defence, the Government and indeed this House. As we know, the Blake report made 34 important recommendations and suggested that there were systemic failings. I will list five of those failings: there was poor appreciation of the needs of recruits under the age of 18; there were poor supervision levels, often as low as 1:60; there was bullying; there were high levels of dissatisfaction and extremely low morale; and, finally, there were poor grievance procedures. So what should our response be? The Liberal Democrats have welcomed the Blake report and call for full and rapid implementation of its recommendations. There are 34 serious recommendations that require a serious and prompt response. When will we hear a full report in response? I was pleased to read that Lord Drayson has given a commitment to reporting back quickly. He said that would happen ““within months””. Well, one of those months has already passed. I would welcome an indication of how that consideration is progressing, and roughly when we can expect a full response. The Liberal Democrats agree that a public inquiry is not necessary provided that the families have access to all the reports and evidence. In recommendation 3, Blake examines whether it is right for the UK to be one of the few countries that recruits child soldiers—that is, those under 18. We have had international criticism for that policy. The review says that recruiting needs are not a satisfactory justification, but goes on to say that the policy is justified given the inadequacies of education and training in the UK's civilian system. The report says that although the education benefits outweigh the downside of having child soldiers, a number of special safeguards are required. The first is the separation of 16 year-olds; the second is a right to resign for those still in training, even those who have passed their 18th birthday; the third and most important is that no posting to the field Army should occur before the age of 18. Do the Government intend to implement those immediately?