Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Coaker on 5 December (HL1878) and the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office on 12 February (HC28577), whether they have decided to discontinue the review on equality, diversity and inclusion training in the Armed Forces.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave him on 19 December 2024, to Question HL3228, in which I stated that following the review into Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI), Defence has accelerated work to restructure and consolidate its staff networks into a smaller number, is conducting an audit of our training programmes to ensure that they deliver high-quality, valuable content, and will ensure that future partnerships and consultancy spend on EDI projects have a clearer focus on return on investment.

The Ministry of Defence remains committed to making the step changes required to create a more inclusive environment, enabling everyone, irrespective of background, to deliver our Defence outputs and enhance our operational effectiveness.