Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken to support minority groups serving in the armed forces in Surrey Heath constituency.

The Ministry of Defence’s work to improve diversity and inclusion within the Armed Forces is conducted holistically and is not targeted within specific constituencies.

In a competitive age, our advantage derives from the talent and skills of our people, and our Armed Forces are at their best when they are diverse.

Defence is dedicated to recruiting and retaining the best talent, drawn from the broadest diversity of thought, skills, and background, to safeguard the security, stability and prosperity of our nation and better represent the nation we serve.

We are committed to making the step changes required to create a more inclusive environment, enabling everyone, irrespective of background, to deliver our Defence outputs, enhance our operational effectiveness and better defend and represent the nation we serve.

The Armed Forces continue to work hard to broaden the diversity of our workforce through actively engaging with our employees to drive an inclusive culture at work, attract the best talent and better reflect the society we serve.

We do not tolerate abuse, bullying or discrimination of any kind and encourage any personnel who believe they have experienced or witnessed unacceptable behaviour to report it.