Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) male and (b) female service personnel have been charged with offences relating to sexual assault since 2014.

A total of 393 male and 11 female Service personnel were charged with sexual assault (Section 3 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003) in the period from 2014 to 2024. These figures constitute individuals charged in the Service jurisdiction by the Service Prosecuting Authority, including those charged after they had left their Service. Figures provided do not include Service personnel charged in the civilian jurisdiction.

Defence has zero tolerance for such behaviour. We are committed to making the step changes required to create a safe and inclusive environment for all our Service Personnel, enabling us to deliver our Defence outputs and enhance our operational effectiveness.