MPs have stated that a “disproportionate” number of female and BAME army staff file internal complaints.

A Common Defence Committee report said the number of complaints from BAME staff is rising, calling it a “serious concern”. The complaints usually made accusations relating to discrimination, bullying and harassment.

The report added that some staff members chose not to raise grievances as they have “little faith” in the complaints system. However, the Ministry of Defence stated that it would “overhaul” the complaints process for the future.

The report was published on Wednesday, August 7, 2019.

It said there was “no clear data” to suggest why, for the third consecutive year, ethnic minorities and women in the Army, the RAF and the Navy were “overrepresented” in the armed forces complaints system.

The report explained that women make up 11% of the workforce in the armed forces but they made 23% of complaints in 2018.

In 43% of cases, women raised concerns relating to bullying, harassment and discrimination.

For men making complaints relating to the same topics, the figure was 20%.

The report stated that seven per cent of the workforce in the armed forces were from a BAME background but they made 13% of complaints.

For this demographic of Army staff, 39% of complaints were related to bullying, harassment and discrimination. This is compared with 24% for white members of staff.

The report said that it was “unacceptable” that the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces (SCOAF) – which looks to provide independent oversight of the complaints process – had not been sent results of internal reviews into the system.

It added: “This sends the wrong message about valuing BAME and female personnel, with a potentially negative impact on their retention and future recruitment.”

The committee also pointed out the “unacceptably slow” handling of cases.

They said that the SCOAF, the Army, the RAF and the Navy had all failed to establish an effective and efficient system for handling complaints.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated:

“We have already accepted a number of recommendations to overhaul and improve the service complaints system, including encouraging personnel to come forward.”

The Ministry of Defence has insisted that the most serious allegations would now be handled by the Defence Authority.

It is a central point in the department which will allow complaints to be dealt with at a quicker rate.