Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when representatives of the (a) Jain and (b) Zoroastrian community were invited to national events organised by his Department in each of the last two years.

The Jain and Zoroastrian communities of this country have made, and continue to make, a positive contribution to life in the United Kingdom.

The Ministry of Defence aims to ensure the widest possible representation at national events, while maintaining relevance to the occasion being marked. However, the requested information is not held in the format requested as Defence has no business requirement to maintain records of the religious affiliation of people invited to attend national events.