[Dr Rupa Huq in the Chair]

Commended the hon. Member for Wrexham for her leadership in bringing forth a comprehensive report on issues faced by women in the armed forces, highlighting the need for cultural shifts and diversity within the military. Raised concerns over the failure to address harassment and violence against servicewomen, mentioning cases of gang rape and assault by senior officers. Highlighted the tenfold increase in complaints from young female service members aged 16-17 compared to their civilian counterparts. Called for a formal apology from the Government and asked how protections would be put in place for younger servicewomen. How does the Minister propose to deal with victims' reluctance to come forward because of how they would be treated?

Emma Lewell from South Shields discussed the Defence Committee's inquiry into sexual offences in the armed forces. She highlighted that while 90% of women would recommend the forces to others, complaints of bullying and harassment remain high, with servicewomen overrepresented. Emma expressed deep concern about the Government rejecting recommendations for removing rape cases from military courts and the low conviction rates in such cases. Will the Minister explain whether he believes that by not removing rape from military courts, victims will have more or less access to justice?

Stephanie Peacock praised the report and welcomed some of the Government's responses, such as improved uniform fit and independence in the service complaints system. However, she expressed concerns over unmet targets for women's recruitment into armed forces, sexual violence levels being more than 10 times higher among female personnel compared to males, low conviction rates in military courts, and the Ministry of Defence's refusal to acknowledge 'military sexual trauma'. She called for a review of the implementation of the Wigston recommendations next year and questioned why the MOD has not implemented many of these recommendations. The charity Salute Her has helped 600 victims of sexual assault and none said they wanted their case heard in court martial.

Ellwood congratulated Sarah Atherton on her report and highlighted the importance of societal bond with the military. He raised concerns about past reports like Wigston and Lyons, suggesting that changes need to be seen in a year's time rather than another report being necessary. Ellwood also mentioned issues such as flexible working, serious offences, uniform fitting for women, and the recruitment of more females into the armed forces. The Minister is aware of the yellow card procedures and what happens in an operational environment, and he is absolutely right that conduct in those environments needs to be dealt with from a different perspective. The issue that we are trying to shed light on is what happens here in the UK.