Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to establish whether former members of a) the British Army and b) the Royal Navy have been employed in advisory roles by the armed forces of the People's Republic of China.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) are not currently planning on establishing whether all former members of the military have been employed in advisory roles by the armed forces of the People’s Republic of China.

By default, the Department does not track former Armed Forces personnel, where they travel to, or the roles they undertake in a private capacity after leaving the Armed Forces. However, the behaviours and actions of former UK Armed Forces personnel may become of interest to the MOD if it is reported that they or their activity poses a threat to National Security.

Our Counter Intelligence capabilities have proven effective at identifying individuals who have accepted such employment and we will continue to use these Counter Intelligence capabilities rather than track all former members of the Armed Forces.