Contributions
1,406 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDWomen in the Defence SectorI would gladly answer such a debate. I know all the sites the hon. Lady referred to, and I do understand the issue. She will know that we are actively engaged with the defence…08 Jan 2024HANSARDArmed Forces RecruitmentWe continue to apply an array of measures to support recruitment and retention and refine the armed forces offer. Those include financial incentives, flexible service and an…08 Jan 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Covenant and Veterans Annual Report 2023The following joint statement is released on behalf of myself and the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Plymouth, Moor View (Johnny Mercer). The…18 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewThat is why Lord Etherton has made his recommendations on financial awards. The structuring of that is yet to be determined, but I just want to manage expectations—as I suspect my…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewMy hon. Friend will know full well that we cannot write a blank cheque. It is just not possible to do that. Lord Etherton came up with £50 million, which is a significant amount…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewMy right hon. Friend is right that testimonies are vital. Those testimonies will ultimately be lodged in the National Archives and they will be part of our national story. I urge…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewThe cap is part of the Etherton report. We have accepted all 49 recommendations and are working them through. I do not know—the hon. Lady will have to ask him—but I suspect that…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewI am grateful to my hon. Friend and predecessor. I pay tribute to her for the work that she has done, not least in her report, which has been extraordinarily impactful. I agree…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewThere is precedent for such a scheme, as I say—I hope the right hon. Gentleman will be aware of the Canadian scheme—so we are not starting with a blank sheet of paper, and neither…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewThe Canadian scheme offered sums ranging from 100,000 Canadian dollars to 5,000 Canadian dollars depending on what happened. It was tiered in a way that gave a range of awards…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewI am certainly not aware of that. Lord Etherton is known for his independence, and his report was independent. Lord Etherton said £50 million, and I will leave it at that.13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewThe answer is “with difficulty”, given what happened in 2010 for perfectly understandable and perfectly good reasons—it is the law of unintended consequences, is it not? I cannot…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewI am grateful to the hon. Lady. Lord Etherton recommended £50 million, and we have accepted that recommendation. The details of the scheme will be worked out in the next few…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewLet me be absolutely clear: Defence wants people, regardless of their sex, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity and social class. We just want people with talent—that is the…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewI am grateful to my right hon. Friend for his question. Lord Etherton’s terms of reference were deliberately drawn in the way that they were to focus specifically on defence, but…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman—I remember him raising his constituent’s case when we debated this matter in the summer. The straight answer to his question is “yes”, and I…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewYes, the front door will remain open, but a stakeholder pack will also be sent to all organisations that we know are interested, urging them to socialise it, which is vital. I…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewNone of us has a monopoly on this. We are learning from the Canadian experience, and I expect others will learn from us. Across the board, this country is looked up to as a…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewThe hon. and learned Lady will be aware that, in the early 2000s, the MOD was taken to court by a significant number of people who had been maligned in the way she has described.…13 Dec 2023HANSARDLGBT Veterans Independent ReviewMy hon. Friend will be aware of the disregards and pardons provisions in part 12 of the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022. They have the effect of expunging those…13 Dec 2023