Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure serving Scottish soldiers' qualifications are recognised by civilian contractors when they wish to undertake trade training while stationed in England.

The Ministry of Defence, Scottish Ministers and Skills Development Scotland have made representations on this issue previously to the responsible department, the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills. The issue is being discussed with Department for Education, who now have responsibility for apprenticeships.