Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the interview by the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families with the Financial Times on 9 August 2023, whether his Department plans to review the disqualifying medical conditions for armed forces recruitment in the (a) regulars and (b) reserves for each service.

The Director General Defence Medical Services (DG DMS) has responsibility for medical policy within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Head Research and Clinical Innovation within Defence Medical Services is responsible for the policy development process and holds authority to publish medical policy on behalf of the DG DMS and MOD.

To ensure operational efficiency and the safety of all personnel, we expect all Armed Forces entrants to be able to serve, fit and healthy, for the period of their engagement. Consequently, there are a number of medical conditions that are a bar to Service that would not be an impediment to most other careers.

Medical entry standards applied to both regular and reserve forces are regularly reviewed by subject matter experts, military health professionals and military occupational physicians. Based on the medical evidence available and an understanding of the occupational implications of any medical condition, the medical standards for recruitment are developed and subsequently modified over time in response to both changing medical evidence and development of military demands.