Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs.

The Ministry of Defence has no current plans to make an estimate of the kind described. In a competitive age, our advantage derives from the talent and skills of our people. Attracting, recruiting, and retaining the best people drawn from the broadest diversity of thought, skills and background is mission critical to our operational effectiveness. People that think differently provide alternative solutions to complex problems and reduce the risk of groupthink and lack of challenge. The reason we seek to increase our diversity levels is to make us more effective at closing with and defeating the enemy, should we be required to do so.