Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 8 November 2022 to Question 74518 on China: Armed Forces, on what date he was first made aware of cases of former UK armed forces personnel being recruited to train the Chinese armed forces.

The Secretary of State for Defence was informed by officials on 16 November 2021. He subsequently directed the Chief of Defence Staff to write to the three respective Service Chiefs to direct them in turn to remind all Service personnel of their ongoing obligations under the Official Secrets Act after they have left the Armed Forces. Concurrently, investigations continued and the decision to issue the alert was generated by the significant increase in ex-Service pilot recruitment that we have witnessed earlier this year.