Military service complaints Ombudsman : still a myth or a possibility?

Abstract

The first chapter of this dissertation shall be a comprehensive study of how servicepersons in the UK are able to seek redress for any grievance they might have sustained relative to their Military careers. The author shall delve into the applicable law regarding means of redress by expounding on its historical development leading up to the practices nowadays. This legal study will be coupled by an insight into the annual reports of the Service Complaints Commissioner and the Service Complaints Ombudsman in order to better comprehend the functions of the these two distinct offices. The following chapter will then be looking at the domestic scene. Unlike the previous chapter, this chapter shall be devoted solely to the study of the means of redress offered by the Armed Forces of Malta and the Executive. The relevant chapters of the Laws of Malta along with Acts that established various commissions, boards and tribunals will be looked at rigorously in order to attain a wholesome comprehension of the situation surrounding the means of redress provided by the Armed Forces and the Executive. The third chapter of this dissertation will focus on the Office of the Ombudsman in Malta. The author felt that this was necessary in order to carefully analyse the particular situation surrounding this office. This chapter will also aim to bring to the fore the relationship that the Ombudsman has with the Armed Forces and the Executive. The final chapter will then recap and digest the detailed study that took place in the previous chapters. This will be done in order to create a direct comparative between the systems found in Malta and in the United Kingdom today. As a consequence, a proposal of what the author feels should be the way forward for the service complaints system in Malta shall be given.