lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_28
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-19)

UK Parliament Hansard data: lordswrans/lordswrans2025-02-19 conversation_28

Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton:To ask His Majesty's Government how many service complaints have been received by (1) the Army, (2) the Royal Navy, (3) the Royal Air Force, and (4) Strategic Command, in each of the last five years; and of those, how many have not been upheld. \p Lord Coaker: Information regarding how many Service Complaints have been received, and how many have not been upheld, is publicly available and can be found in the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces Annual Report statistics available at the following link: https://www.scoaf.org.uk/annual-statisticals-tables. Please note that the most recent year for which information is currently available is 2023.

The data you have requested is shown in Annex A, below, by Service. Please note that Complaints are recorded by Service and not Command and therefore no data is available for Strategic Command.

ANNEX A Number of Royal Navy Service Complaints*, by complaint category, 2019 - 2023

Year

Career management

Bullying, harassment or discrimination1

Pay, pensions and allowances

Other1

All complaint categories

2019

69

24

32

37

162

2020

49

37

22

37

145

2021

56

36

21

36

149

2022

77

59

20

42

198

2023

95

55

43

90

283

% annual growth

23%

-7%

115%

114%

43%

* including Royal Marine Service Complaints

1 Prior to 2022, victimisation Service Complaints were recorded under category "Other", rather than under "Bullying, harassment or discrimination"

Source: Tri-Service Joint Personnel Administrative System

Number of Army Service Complaints, by complaint category, 2019 - 2023

Year

Career management

Bullying, harassment or discrimination1

Pay, pensions and allowances

Other1

All complaint categories

2019

171

131

55

100

457

2020

179

130

46

76

431

2021

129

135

27

76

367

2022

191

128

39

124

482

2023

204

147

50

213

614

% annual growth

7%

15%

28%

72%

27%

1 Prior to 2022, victimisation Service Complaints were recorded under category "Other", rather than under "Bullying, harassment or discrimination"

Source: Tri-Service Joint Personnel Administrative System

Number of RAF Service Complaints, by complaint category, 2019 - 2023

Year

Career Management

Bullying, harassment or discrimination1

Pay, pensions and allowances

Other1

All complaint categories

2019

44

39

27

37

147

2020

63

31

24

35

153

2021

73

61

36

63

233

2022

96

40

25

94

255

2023

129

60

53

86

328

% annual growth

34%

50%

112%

-9%

29%

1 Prior to 2022, victimisation Service Complaints were recorded under category "Other", rather than under "Bullying, harassment or discrimination"

Source: Tri-Service Joint Personnel Administrative System

Number of Royal Navy* closed Service Complaints, by outcome and complaint category, 2023

Outcome

Career management

Bullying, harassment or discrimination

Pay, pensions and allowances

Other

All closed Service Complaints

Complaint fully/partially upheld

27

25

13

28

93

Complaint not upheld

36

19

9

27

91

Other outcome

36

14

12

21

83

Total

99

58

34

76

267

% fully/partially upheld in favour of complainant

27%

43%

38%

37%

35%

% not upheld

36%

33%

26%

36%

34%

% other outcome

36%

24%

35%

28%

31%

* includes Royal Marines

Source: Tri-Service Joint Personnel Administrative System

Number of Army closed Service Complaints, by outcome and complaint category, 2023

Outcome

Career management

Bullying, harassment or discrimination

Pay, pensions and allowances

Other

All closed Service Complaints

Complaint fully/partially upheld

104

70

29

75

278

Complaint not upheld

50

61

11

47

169

Other outcome

79

42

14

46

181

Total

233

173

54

168

628

% fully/partially upheld in favour of complainant

45%

40%

54%

45%

44%

% not upheld

21%

35%

20%

28%

27%

% other outcome

34%

24%

26%

27%

29%

Source: Tri-Service Joint Personnel Administrative System

Number of RAF closed Service Complaints, by outcome and complaint category, 2023

Outcome

Career management

Bullying, harassment or discrimination

Pay, pensions and allowances

Other

All closed Service Complaints

Complaint fully/partially upheld

28

17

17

24

86

Complaint not upheld

62

22

13

29

126

Other outcome

20

19

13

23

75

Total

110

58

43

76

287

% fully/partially upheld in favour of complainant

25%

29%

40%

32%

30%

% not upheld

56%

38%

30%

38%

44%

% other outcome

18%

33%

30%

30%

26%

Source: Tri-Service Joint Personnel Administrative System