Opposition Senator Michael Dunkley has asked Government to reveal the outcome of an investigation launched 18 months ago by the Human Rights Commission into sexual misconduct allegations at the Bermuda Regiment.The Shadow National Security Minister last week tabled two parliamentary questions in the Senate about the probe, which was publicly announced by the HRC on October 15, 2009.Then HRC chairman Venous Memari said at the time that the commissioners agreed to immediately launch their own inquiry into revelations by The Royal Gazette that 14 male soldiers made claims of sexual assault or harassment between 1989 and 2002.Ms Memari said the inquiry could take up to nine months and encouraged victims to come forward. The HRC has made no public comment on the investigation since.Senator Dunkley put his queries to Junior Minister La-Verne Furbert, who speaks for the Youth, Families, Sports and Community Development Ministry in the Upper Chamber.The Ministry is responsible for the HRC and Senator Furbert also sits on the Commission.The questions were:l Has the Human Rights Commission completed its inquiry, launched on October 15, 2009, on sexual misconduct in the Bermuda Regiment?l Will the outcome of the inquiry be made public by the Human Rights Commission?The UBP politician also asked the Junior Minister when the HRC’s annual reports for 2009 and 2010 would be tabled in the Legislature.The Commission must in law produce a report on its activities no later than six months after the end of each calendar year and the relevant Minister must then table it in Parliament. The last report tabled was for 2008.Sen Dunkley said yesterday he hoped to receive answers when Parliament resumes in May.“I thought it appropriate to ask the questions in the Senate as I find it strange that the investigation was announced publicly many months ago and little has been forthcoming since that time,” he said.“It is unacceptable that a matter as serious as this has been allowed to drag on as long as it has without some form of understanding and resolution.“Bearing in mind the shocking and serious allegations and the role of the Regiment within the community, it is important that this matter is dealt with and this delay does not bode well for all involved.”Lawyer Shade Subair, who replaced Ms Memari as HRC chairman in January 2010, did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.In January this year, The Royal Gazette asked Ms Subair for information on whether the inquiry had ended.The following month, she referred us to a response given to the same request by Department of Human Affairs director Deborah Blakeney in January 2010.Ms Blakeney wrote in an e-mail: “As you are aware, the Human Rights Commission is statutorily bound under the Human Rights Act 1981 to preserve confidentiality, especially in relation to any allegation involving sexual harassment and is therefore unable to comment in any way regarding the investigation launched October 15, 2009.”The Human Rights Act outlaws the sexual harassment of employees and Ms Memari said in October 2009 that this covered those doing military service.The taxpayer-funded HRC has the power to investigate any suspected breach of the Act and can disclose any information it considers relevant to increase public awareness and understanding of issues related to human rights.It must not, however, publicly identify persons involved in allegations of sexual harassment.l Useful websites: www.hrc.bm, www.bermudaregiment.bm.