Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer by the Minister for Veterans and People to Question 123 at the Defence Committee on 11 March 2025, HC 572, what the 100 out-of-date medical requirements were that have been removed from the recruitment process.

The latest version of Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950, Leaflet 6-7-7, which sets the medical entry standards for the Armed Forces, was published in August 2024 following an intensive review undertaken by clinical experts, Defence personnel staff and the recruiting agencies. Medical entry standards have been designed to select people in, rather than be a barrier to entry and, where evidence exists to support change, standards have been made more permissive.

Each standard was considered in light of existing and/or emerging medical evidence and assessed against the likelihood of the associated medical risk of a five-year engagement. This work resulted in 100 changes to JSP 950 Leaflet 6-7-7 and revised medical entry standards for conditions including respiratory, neurological and musculoskeletal disorders.

I will place a copy of JSP950 Leaflet 6-7-7 (August 2024) in the Library of the House.