Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to identify and contact ex-service personnel training foreign militaries abroad without the consent of his Department.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) cannot comment on individual cases, however where personnel have been tempted by the offer, the Department have conveyed disapproval of this activity and strongly dissuaded current or former Serving personnel from engaging with it. MOD has reminded personnel of their obligations under the Official secrets Act and are reviewing Service leaver procedures to include contractual obligations, Non Disclosure Agreements and 'Persona Non Grata' mechanisms where appropriate. The National Security Bill, currently before Parliament, will bring together vital new measures to protect the UK, modernising counter espionage laws and addressing the ever-evolving threat to our national security.