Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the reasons for the differences between the non-confinement policies operated by the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, specifically in Kenya; and why the Ministry of Defence is more restrictive.

The criteria for confinement or non-confinement during the pregnancies of Service personnel are based on individual medical assessments. A decision on confinement in any location is based on an assessment of risk, to both the mother and baby, informed by both primary and secondary healthcare experts.

For Kenya, specifically, a number of factors are considered. For example, Service personnel in Kenya mainly reside in Nanyuki, which does not provide access to the level of neonatal care equivalent to the NHS. Once born, the child and their supportability must also be considered, including access to specialist emergency care and the risks posed by Yellow Fever and malaria, for which vaccination and chemoprophylaxis respectively are not recommended from birth.