Written question asked by Elliot Morley (Labour) on Wednesday, 29 April 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 May 2009. It was answered by Lord Beamish (Labour) on Friday, 8 May 2009 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces: Health Services

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent representations he has received on psychometric testing of personnel due to be sent to combat zones to identify their vulnerability to combat stress; what response he has made to such representations; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: From time to time, the Department receives representations about the mental health services provided for members of the armed forces. I am not aware of any recent representations specifically on psychometric testing of personnel prior to deployment. The Department's evidence-based view is that such selection processes do not work and would be counter-productive.Recent research is summarised in the King's Centre for Military Health Research "Ten Year Report" published in 2006 by the University of London and covering a decade's worth of research concerning the health of UK service personnel and veterans. This explains that selecting out individuals who might be at increased risk of developing mental health difficulties prior to recruitment or deployment is a flawed strategy because, whether one uses clinical interviews or questionnaire-based methods, it is impossible to distinguish reliably between those who will go on to experience psychological difficulties and those who will not. An ineffective selection programme would not just be costly and labour intensive but is likely to have adverse consequences both for individuals who would unnecessarily be prevented from deploying when doing so is part of their job, and for the operational efficiency of the armed forces by unnecessarily reducing the numbers of personnel available to carry out operational tasks.

Secondary information