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Military Bases: Northern Ireland

Question for Ministry of Defence

UIN 207683, tabled on 1 September 2014

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress has been made on the investigation into the deaths of soldiers at Abercorn barracks in Ballykinler in December 2012 and February 2013.

Answered on

5 September 2014

The deaths of two soldiers at Abercorn Barracks are a personal tragedy for their families and loved ones, and our thoughts remain with them. As is normal with the death of Armed Forces personnel in the UK, these have been investigated by the local Home Office police force, in this case the Police Service of Northern Ireland. We understand that they have concluded their investigations and passed their conclusions to the Coroner, who is in the process of establishing formal inquests into the soldiers’ deaths.

An internal service inquiry has been established by the Army to consider the facts and identify any lessons to prevent anything like this happening again. This is a complex inquiry, involving a significant number of witnesses and, while we are seeking to complete it as soon as possible, determining the findings and recommendations will naturally take time. It is important that the inquiry is conducted properly and given the appropriate space to reach its conclusions. The families have been kept informed throughout.