Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the processes put in place for armed forces personnel to apply for (a) statutory maternity pay and (b) maternity allowance.

The Armed Forces' policy and process for maternity leave and pay, known as the Armed Forces' Occupational Maternity Scheme (AFOMS), is set out in JSP 760, Tri-Service Regulations for Leave and Other Types of Absence.

Chapter 24 of JSP 760 sets out entitlement to pay, options on length of leave, and the actions required by pregnant Service women and their commanding officers following confirmation of pregnancy.

JSP 760, along with all related electronic application forms, is reviewed and updated frequently, with the latest version always internally accessible to all Service personnel on DefNet, the Ministry of Defence intranet. The latest review was published on DefNet in February 2025 under JSP 760, version 39.5. All updates and revisions are documented in the JSP's version history and record of amendments included with each publication.