Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether experiencing acne (a) in the past and (b) at present is used as a criterion within the online recruitment process for selecting potential future members of the territorial army.

The Government inherited a recruitment crisis from the last Government.

The Defence Secretary has undertaken to review the current recruitment policies and has already announced several changes to prior outdated approaches.

An update to Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950 Leaflet 6-7-7, which sets out the Medical Employment Standards for the Armed Forces, was published in August 2024 following an intensive period of review undertaken by clinical experts, Defence personnel staff and the recruiting agencies.

The updated JSP 950 Leaflet 6-7-7 is now in use and applies to both Regular and Reserve Forces. In the case of acne, the update confirms that candidates with acne that has resolved with or without treatment, are now able to join the Armed Forces.