Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of awarding the (a) Op Herrick Operational Service Medal and (b) Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) to (i) personnel of the 908 Labour Support Unit RLC and (ii) other Afghan locally employed civilians.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Under the qualifying criterion for the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan and the Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan), locally employed civilians working for the 908 Labour Support Unit, and other Afghan locally employed civilians, are not eligible for either Medal.
Whilst we value greatly the support provided by locally employed civilians, the long-established position is that local nationals are not eligible for UK medallic recognition, and the Ministry of Defence has no plans to recommend that this position is reviewed.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recruitment process for people who wish to join the armed forces.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The single Services continue to deliver improvements to recruiting practices to ensure they recruit sufficient numbers of personnel to meet the Defence need, and to make the candidate experience as efficient as possible. These improvements include the increased use of virtual application and selection techniques, balanced with opportunities for face-to-face recruiting events. This blended approach ensures the opportunities afforded by a career in the Armed Forces are accessible by people from as diverse a set of backgrounds as possible.
Concurrently, work is ongoing to enable, from April 2025, the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme to deliver a world class tri-Service recruiting experience that places the candidate at the heart of the future operation. It will inspire, motivate and develop candidates whilst meeting the needs of the single Services and wider Defence.