Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to tackle the matter of soldiers taking their own life (a) during and (b) after active service.

Every study conducted by the Ministry of Defence has found that the risk of suicide amongst the Armed Forces community, including veterans of the 1982 Falkland and 1990-91 Gulf conflicts, is lower than amongst the general population.

A considerable amount of work has already been undertaken to improve the mental health of Service personnel and to prevent suicide and suicide risk. This includes tackling stigma through education and providing easily accessible, rapid and flexible access to mental health support and healthcare services. Armed Forces personnel undergo "through life" psychological resilience training which enables them to recognise and manage stress in themselves and in their colleagues and actively encourages them to seek help at an early stage.

However, we continue to look at what more can done. This includes a focused review by the Defence Safety Authority of suicide in Service personnel to identify additional measures for preventing suicide. The review was published on 9 November 2018 by the Defence Safety Authority and work to take forward the recommendations has commenced.

We have less influence on individuals' behaviour once they are discharged from the Armed Forces, as their mental healthcare becomes the responsibility of the National Health Service in the UK. There are many factors that can result in suicide such as relationship breakdown, debt and employment concerns, not only service in the Armed Forces.

However, we are not complacent. Any suicide is one too many and a tragedy for the individual, their family, friends and colleagues.