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Written question asked by Anneliese Dodds (Labour) on Thursday, 8 May 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 12 May 2025. It was answered by Luke Pollard (Labour) on Friday, 16 May 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.


Territorial Army: Recruitment

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether experiencing acne (a) in the past and (b) at present is used as a criterion within the online recruitment process for selecting potential future members of the territorial army.

Answer

The Government inherited a recruitment crisis from the last Government.

The Defence Secretary has undertaken to review the current recruitment policies and has already announced several changes to prior outdated approaches.

An update to Joint Service Publication (JSP) 950 Leaflet 6-7-7, which sets out the Medical Employment Standards for the Armed Forces, was published in August 2024 following an intensive period of review undertaken by clinical experts, Defence personnel staff and the recruiting agencies.

The updated JSP 950 Leaflet 6-7-7 is now in use and applies to both Regular and Reserve Forces. In the case of acne, the update confirms that candidates with acne that has resolved with or without treatment, are now able to join the Armed Forces.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
50903
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Internet Recruitment Territorial Army
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk