Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 4 March 2015 to Question 225425, what progress has been made on the assessment of the feasibility of the creation of a Sikh regiment.

The Armed Forces are working to increase the recruitment of military personnel from all ethnic and religious backgrounds and have made significant progress towards the set target of 10% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic enlistment to training by 2020. Measures have also been implemented to improve mutual understanding between the Army and the full range of UK communities in order to build better relationships between communities and military personnel.

The Ministry of Defence continues to look at all options relating to the recognition of Sikh values and traditions in our Armed Forces. Service personnel already benefit from a thriving British Armed Forces Sikh Association and a Sikh chaplain to the military; work is ongoing to ensure that policy supports the active participation of the Sikh religion.