Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March to Question 116539 on Armed Forces Commissioner, whether he has a target date for the appointment of an Armed Forces Commissioner.

The Secretary of State for Defence has confirmed that former Air Commodore Suzanne ‘Polly’ Miller-Perkins CBE is the preferred candidate for appointment to the role of Armed Forces Commissioner. In line with the Governance Code for Public Appointments, this is to be an interim appointment made without competition for a period of 12 months while arrangements are made to run a new open competition. The candidate was subject to a pre-appointment hearing by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee on 25 March 2026. The Commissioner will be in post and their office operational from 1 April 2026.