Written question asked by Lord Beamish (Labour) on Monday, 23 April 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 25 April 2007. It was answered by Adam Ingram (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 May 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much each regiment contributes towards the cost of a dress uniform for non-commissioned officers.

Answer: Mess dress is the only uniform that non-commissioned officers are not issued with. The reason for this is because it is not officially laid down in Queen's Regulations for the Army that non-commissioned officers have to wear mess dress (unlike officers). Non-commissioned officers are, however, issued with all uniforms they are required to wear in order to perform their duties.Each corps regiment or unit in the Army has its own policy on whether it requires non-commissioned officers to have mess dress and indeed on whether assistance is available from non-public funds to help with the cost. This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Secondary information