Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many serving officers in the armed forces have attended Common Purpose courses during each year since 2010; and at what total cost for each year.

Common Purpose has not been used by the RAF or the Royal Navy to train officers between 2010 and 2014. One Army Officer attended the Common Purpose CSC Leaders Global Leadership Programme in 2014, at a cost of £6,000.

Some individuals may have undertaken training with this company during their resettlement period. However, the comprehensive leadership skills and qualifications attained in the Armed Forces means that such training is rarely considered necessary.

Confirming this would require manually checking all service leavers’ Joint Personnel Administration records to identify, retrieve and collate the details. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.