Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department's analysis of the Private to Sergeant promotion rate for (a) non-UK and (b) UK service personnel.

Work is ongoing to better understand and improve the careers and lived experience of all members of our Armed Forces.

The Army Race Action Plan, delivered in April 2023, observed that non-UK Service Personnel (SP) on average take longer to be promoted from Private to Sergeant compared to their UK counterparts.

The Army's subsequent investigation identified three main factors causing the discrepancy:

1. Transfers from Gurkhas to UK Regular forces require a minimum Length of Service (LoS) of seven years, affecting the average LoS at promotion for non-UK Service Personnel (SP).
2. Non-UK SP representation varies across trades and Arms/Services, with many roles needing Security Clearances, which non-UK personnel can obtain only after three years of UK residency.
3. Outflow rates differ between UK and Commonwealth SP, with UK SP more likely to leave after four years, while Commonwealth personnel tend to serve longer. This results in a higher average LoS at promotion for non-UK SP.

The analysis found no evidence of systematic unfair treatment of non-UK SP in the Army promotion process.