Contributions
413 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDService Personnel: Recruitment and RetentionI thank my hon. Friend for being such a champion of this outstanding college, and he is absolutely correct. There are a multitude of excellent opportunities, of which the Ministry…21 Oct 2019HANSARDService Personnel: Recruitment and RetentionWe remain committed to maintaining the overall size of the armed forces, and we have a range of measures under way to improve recruitment and retention. Those measures are kept…21 Oct 2019HANSARDArmy PersonnelLet us be clear: the House is absolutely right to scrutinise this Government over recruiting into our armed forces. I welcome that, because it enables me to put pressure on our…21 Oct 2019HANSARDArmy PersonnelI have already explained part of what we are doing. I sense that the hon. Gentleman wrote his question before listening to my answers and has not been able to adapt it, which is a…21 Oct 2019HANSARDArmy PersonnelNo, that is certainly not the case. It is certainly true, to quote Stalin, that: “Quantity has a quality all its own.” However, the modern armed forces are very different from…21 Oct 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI am delighted to say that my understanding is that, as a result of the recent pay review, the starting salary of a private soldier has risen to over £20,000 a year.21 Oct 2019HANSARDArmy PersonnelI am very proud that there are now no roles in the British Army that are not open to women, so all ground and close combat roles are open. We have seen the first women join the…21 Oct 2019HANSARD Battle of Arnhem: 75th AnniversaryMy hon. Friend makes the very powerful point that for many this was not a one-off operation, but the culmination of what had been an incredibly long and tough war. By the…14 Oct 2019HANSARD Battle of Arnhem: 75th AnniversaryThank you, Mr Speaker, for allowing us to have this debate this evening. I start, of course, by congratulating the hon. and gallant Member for Barnsley Central (Dan Jarvis) on…14 Oct 2019HANSARD Battle of Arnhem: 75th AnniversaryI can only say that I found the whole experience utterly terrifying and vowed never to repeat it. And that was without a single shot being fired at me. I doubt that even the most…14 Oct 2019HANSARD Battle of Arnhem: 75th AnniversaryMy hon. and gallant Friend makes an incredibly important point. Indeed, this is about the contribution of so many who were involved in that operation on that day, both military…14 Oct 2019HANSARD Battle of Arnhem: 75th AnniversaryMy right hon. Friend makes the point more powerfully than I could. He is right that it is those relationships that have been among the enduring benefits of what happened 75 years…14 Oct 2019HANSARDDefence SpendingIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Mr Betts. I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Trevelyan) on introducing the debate.…16 Jul 2019HANSARDDefence SpendingIn his haste to criticise the leadership candidates for their commitments to increase defence spending, can the hon. Gentleman point to a single speech where the Leader of the…16 Jul 2019HANSARDDefence SpendingI doubt it. As has been said, the first duty of any Government is the safety and security of the British people at home and abroad. I am proud that the Government have delivered…16 Jul 2019HANSARDChemical Weapons Convention: Declaration of Protective ProgrammeMy right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords (The Earl Howe) has made the following written ministerial statement. The UK’s chemical protection…15 Jul 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe announcement on Fort George under the better defence estate strategy remains as it is, but the hon. Gentleman will know of our commitment to our armed forces personnel in…08 Jul 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for the question. May I also thank him for inviting me to Armed Forces Day in Stirling last weekend? He was a wonderful host. There has been a project to…08 Jul 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy hon. Friend raises an important point. We continue to utilise reserves and now have a target to ensure that they are used on operations, which helps with retention. I am…08 Jul 2019HANSARDTopical QuestionsI declare my interest as deputy commander of the 77 Brigade, which means this is a subject close to my heart. Hybrid threats present themselves in many domains, so we utilise a…08 Jul 2019