Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the ethnicity target is for the number of (a) officers, (b) Lieutenant Colonels and above and (c) Majors and below in the Regular Forces by 2030.

Whilst Defence does not work to specific intake targets for ethnicity, we are committed to achieving a more diverse workforce and have embarked on a range of activities to increase the number of ethnic minority and female recruits into the Armed Forces. Whilst the representation of ethnic minority personnel joining the Armed Forces is improving, we recognise that progress in terms of the representative rates of our people - both military and civilian - has been too slow. It is clear there is still much further to go and we are working hard to fulfil the key objective in our 2018-2030 Diversity and Inclusion Strategy to eliminate discrimination and improve diversity throughout Defence:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defence-diversity-and-inclusion-strategy-2018-to-2030-a-force-for-inclusion

Section 2.2.4, Supporting Commitments for Goal 2, sets out Defence's ambition to improve our ethnic diversity.