Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what research his Department has commissioned into the prevention of non-freezing cold injury.

A field assessment tool is currently being developed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) which aims to reduce the incidence of non-freezing cold injury (NFCI). The tool will shortly enter its clinical assessment phase.

A MOD commissioned study, which commenced in April 2016, is investigating the symptoms of NFCI and has reported that NFCI is a form of neuropathy. As a result, further research is planned to look at the pathophysiology of NFCI and, in particular, whether there is a vascular component to it.