Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many advertisements have been placed and in which publications to advise armed forces personnel of their right to make a complaint following their illegal punishment following the receipt of a police caution in the last year; what the cost of placing such advertisements has been; how many such complaints have been received to date; and if he will make a statement.

In accordance with the pledge made by my predecessor, the hon. Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), letters have been sent to serving and non-serving personnel at their last known addresses, informing them of this issue, and explaining the options open to them. This information was also shown internally on the Defence Intranet, and externally on the Defence pages of Gov.uk in May 2015. The Department is considering how best to target the message to reach individuals who may not have received it via either of these routes.

A total of 22 Service complaints have been received to date. All three Services are assisting serving and non-serving personnel who have submitted requests for further information.