Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what formal processes were followed by 32 Signal Regiment relating to the offer of the rank of Colonel to Ruth Davidson MSP; and if he will place all correspondence on that offer and acceptance of that rank in the Library.

All three Services grant Honorary Rank to civilians for the sole purpose of enabling them to fill Honorary Appointments (normally with the Reserve or Cadet Forces), or for other business purposes of the Service. Each Service appoints individuals who can act as advocates on a local or national level; or whose appointment may otherwise benefit the unit or organisation with which they are associated. The granting of Honorary Rank is not to be seen as a reward and all three Services take care to ensure that appointments have not been made solely on the basis of personal or professional acquaintance or friendship. All Honorary appointments in each Service are approved by Buckingham Palace.

The process for appointing Honorary Colonels in the Army is set out in the Reserve and Land Forces Regulations which can be found at the following website: http://www.army.mod.uk/documents/general/RESERVE_LAND_FORCES_REGULATIONS.pdf

These regulations were followed for the appointment of Ruth Davidson MSP as the Honorary Colonel of 32 Signal Regiment. Correspondence relating to that offer and its acceptance has been placed in the Library of the House, redacted to remove personal information in accordance with data protection principles.

In the Army the appointment of an individual to an Honorary Rank starts with a nomination from a Commanding Officer of, usually, a Reserve or Cadet unit which is then staffed through the Chain of Command to Military 2* level (Major General and equivalent) until it reaches the Military Secretary Honours branch (MS Hons). At this point, if the nominee is a Member of Parliament or a representative of a Devolved Administration Ministerial, agreement is sought – as is also the case in the Naval Service and the Royal Air Force. In the case of Ruth Davidson’s appointment, that agreement was sought and obtained. MS Hons then seeks The Sovereign’s approval for the appointment and the Military Secretary writes to the nominee to inform them of the appointment.

In the Naval Service, the appointment of Honorary Officers is governed by the regulations in the Book of Reference 3(Vol 2) (BRd 3(2)) titled ‘Naval Personnel Management – Reserves’, Chapter 2, Section 3. BRd 3(2) is available at the following website: http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/reference-library/br3vol2

All appointments are to the Reserves. Nominations for Honorary Officers require Military 2* endorsement and are considered annually by the Honorary Officers Review Board which is chaired by First Sea Lord.

In the Royal Air Force, guidance on Honorary Ranks is contained in Air Publication 3392 Volume 7 (to be published shortly) and for 601 Squadron it is in the Concept of Employment. All applicants are required to complete a Register of Interests and Political Activity Declaration form. The selection process for 601 Squadron may involve formal interviews, or selections may be made directly from a paper sift of candidates. Recommendations for new Honorary Appointments are made to the Chief of the Air Staff via a prioritised shortlist based on the number of vacancies available in a given year.

The numbers of civilians offered an Honorary Rank in each of the Armed Forces in the last five years are set out below. All individuals accepted the offer.