Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effort is being made to ensure that all armed service members are able to exercise their right to vote at the coming general election.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes a number of steps to ensure that those entitled to vote in the forthcoming general election are able to do so. These are detailed below.

We will shortly publish our annual instruction, which sets out the arrangements for electoral registration which will enable Service personnel and their spouses or civil partners to vote. This instruction will also set out the various options available to service personnel for casting their vote - in person, by post and by proxy - and guidance about how to register online.

The MOD will launch its annual information campaign to encourage Service personnel and their families to register to vote in conjunction with the Electoral Commission on 5 February 2015. All units have been tasked with holding a registration day on a convenient date during February or March of which information on electoral registration will be provided and personnel will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Together with the Electoral Commission, the MOD has engaged with a wide range of organisations, publications, websites and forums, including all three service families' federations and the HIVE network, to ensure that information about how to register reaches as many members of the service community as possible.

In the run up to the general election the British Forces Post Office will look to identify, extract and prioritise postal ballot papers on their way to and from locations overseas.