Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to investigate the nature, prevalence, prevention and management of sexual harassment within the (a) Royal Navy (b) Army (c) RAF.

The Ministry of Defence is committed to preventing sexual harassment and is very clear that unacceptable behaviour of any kind will not be tolerated and action will be taken against anyone found to be engaging in such behaviour. Sexual harassment affects both men and women, and all personnel have the right to work in an environment which is free from discrimination and unacceptable behaviour of any form. Personnel should be confident that any allegations will be taken very seriously and action will be taken to deal with it.

Naval Service

The Naval Service has a range of policies which espouse the law as contained in the Equality Act 2010, which is that personnel must not engage in discrimination, victimisation or harassment. Harassment involving unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is addressed within those policies. In particular, the Tri-Service Armed Forces Code of Social Conduct (as contained in Joint Service Publication 887: ‘Diversity, Inclusion and Social Conduct’) is widely briefed during Naval initial training and well as on Divisional and leadership courses. It forms a fundamental element of Naval Ethos, Values and Standards and as such is briefed regularly as part of routine Divisional Briefings.

The Naval Service also ensures that all those in Service understand that poor behaviour, including sexual harassment, will not be tolerated. This is primarily achieved through leadership and education including a widely published Diversity and Inclusion Direction from the First Sea Lord; published Diversity and Inclusion statements from Commanding Officers which take a very firm line on poor behaviours, and recently updated Diversity and Inclusion mandatory training which specifically addresses the issue of the effect poor behaviour can have on team building, operational capability and mission success and the individuals involved.

Army

The 2018 Army Sexual Harassment Survey follows the previous 2015 survey and the Army has already committed to repeating it again in 2021, underlining its commitment to improving behaviours and openly holding itself to account against the highest standards.

The Army’s Action Plan for addressing the issues raised by the survey can be found at the link below. This sets out some of the steps being taken including increased education and training, reviewing and simplifying reporting processes and further enhancing the support available to those who have experienced sexual harassment.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/army-sexual-harassment-report-and-action-plan-2018

Royal Air Force (RAF)

The RAF, in line with the other Services, has a range of policies and processes which help meet the legal obligations contained within the Equality Act 2010 and the RAF’s specific legal duty as part of the Public Sector to show due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment, victimisation and any other prohibited conduct. Harassment involving unwanted conduct of a sexual nature is addressed within those policies, including the Tri-Service Armed Forces Code of Social Conduct which is widely briefed during initial training and as part of command, management and leadership courses at all levels. Air Publication 1, ‘Ethos, Core Values and Standards’, reiterates the standards expected of all personnel and identifies unwelcome sexual attention in the form of physical or verbal conduct as an example of unacceptable personal behaviour. Further, Air Publication 1 makes clear that all personnel, regardless of rank, have a responsibility to set the right environment and to challenge inappropriate behaviour.