§ 24. Mr. JannerTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will take steps to increase the representations of women and of people from ethnic minorities in senior ranks in the armed forces. [20099]
§ Mr. FreemanPromotion in the armed forces is on merit and positive discrimination would be unlawful. Opportunities for promotion to the most senior ranks exist for service personnel irrespective of their ethnic origin. Although some areas of employment remain closed to women on grounds of operational effectiveness, many 197W new employment opportunities have been opened to them in recent years.