Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations of the report by the Defence Safety Authority entitled Service Inquiry into the alleged exposure of UK Defence Personnel to asbestos during overseas exercises and training since 2018, published on 18 August 2022.

Significant progress has been made against the implementation of the recommendations made in the Service Inquiry.

The Ministry of Defence's Directorate of Defence Safety has provided further guidance to reinforce managers responsibilities for controlling asbestos risks and protecting our people in its policy - Management of Health and Safety in Defence.

Further work is underway to ensure that the intent of the recommendations is also applied to encompass any other potential environmental and industrial hazards, which are not addressed by the updated guidance. This activity will further strengthen Defence safety policy to ensure the safety of our personnel while deployed on exercise both within the UK and overseas. The safety and welfare of our people continues to be of the utmost importance.