Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to investigate the circumstances into the death of Pte. Anthony Bartlett at Princess Royal Barracks, Deepcut in 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Pte Barlett’s death on 16 July 2001 was subject to a coroner’s inquest and was ruled an accidental death caused by acute poisoning. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is not conducting any further investigation into the circumstances of his death at this time. My deepest sympathy goes out to Pte Bartlett’s family and all those affected by this tragic accident.

The Minister for the Armed Forces set the Terms of Reference for an independent review: ‘The Deepcut Review’. This review was launched on 22 March 2004 and was led by Sir Nicholas Blake QC. The terms of reference were to investigate the deaths of four soldiers by gunshot wounds at Princess Royal Barracks Deepcut between 1995-2002. Within those terms, the scope of the Review and the matters to be examined, were a matter for Sir Nicholas Blake QC to decide. The MOD co-operated fully with the Review into the Deepcut deaths and made documentation available to it.

Surrey Police had complete jurisdiction for the investigation into Pte Bartlett’s death, with assistance offered by the Royal Military Police where requested. There is an agreement between the civil and service police which clearly states that the local Home Office Police Force will lead all investigations involving death or very serious injury that occurs on MOD property in the United Kingdom.