Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how his Department’s Defence Skills Passport will be used to improve the retention of serving female personnel and promote women into senior leadership positions.

Defence’s transition to a skills‑based organisation is driven by the Pan‑Defence Skills Framework (PDSF). PDSF provides a single, governed set of skills that enables objective capability assessment and establishes a common language for identifying, defining, and managing skills. All personnel, both Service and civilian, will be required to record their PDSF Skills Profile, the utilisation of which will reduce gender bias, improve transparency, and create clearer, fairer pathways for progression.

Career progression and workforce decisions will rely on objective assessment of skills and demonstration of leadership behaviours. This ensures that women can compete on a level platform at every career stage, provides a strong mechanism for their retention and increases the number of women progressing into senior leadership roles. It also reinforces gender-focused initiatives, such as mentoring, and targeted leadership development to broaden competition for roles.

Building on the PDSF, the Defence Skills Passport will support more flexible movement between roles across Defence, enabling women to continue progressing without leaving the organisation. Future workforce insights tools will help Defence better identify and address gender disparities, strengthening the pipeline of women into senior leadership roles. Together, these measures strengthen the environment in which servicewomen can thrive, remain in Defence for longer, and progress into senior posts.