Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of the armed forces have spent more than six months studying with the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit; and how many are studying now.

The Defence Cultural Specialist Unit is not a training establishment and therefore does not offer any courses in the generally accepted use of the term. Its role is to prepare and provide Cultural Specialists and Human Terrain Analysts for units at readiness or deploying on operations. The Unit works with a variety of organisations, including the Defence Centre for Language and Culture at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, to ensure that its personnel are appropriately trained to meet the UK's commitments.

After the completion of appropriate language training, which also includes elements of cultural and historical learning, a Cultural Specialist will receive, on average, between 3-5 weeks of cultural and historical training specific to their future role.

Since the Defence Cultural Specialist Unit was formed in 2010, 59 personnel have spent more than six months undertaking related studies. These are provided at a range of locations, including the Defence Centre for Language and Culture at the Defence Academy. As at 30 October 2014 the Unit had seven personnel undertaking cultural and historical training.