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1,082 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Fourth sitting)I take the point. We have made the case, and I hope the Minister will reply promptly—let us say January, please, not March or June. Perhaps the Minister could write to me and the…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I beg to move amendment 8, in clause 1, page 2, line 2, at end insert— “(5A) The Commissioner shall operate independently from – (a) the Ministry of Defence; (b) the armed forces;…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Fourth sitting)If I may, Mr Betts, that was clearly the voice of experience. Question proposed, That the Chair do report the Bill to the House. Question put and agreed to. Bill accordingly to be…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I commend the hon. Gentleman for his accurate reading of the legislation. On Second Reading, the Minister made the point that the legislation is drafted to be facilitative. For…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)The Minister mentions Ajax. I did not, but as he did, we will read that into the record. There were times when the Defence Committee would have dearly loved that power. Had we had…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I welcome the Minister’s welcome for the amendment. I hope the Committee is doing the right thing here. We tabled it because the issue cropped up a lot in the public evidence…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)The hon. Lady is right. The amendment says that the commissioner should make the appointment; I hope we have given the rationale for why we believe that is important. What sort of…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)Okay, thank you. We live in an increasingly litigious world, including the wider prevalence of so-called lawfare issues on the modern battlefield. Therefore it seems important to…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I think the amendment speaks for itself. I seem to recall that on Tuesday the Minister laid out a timeframe for the establishment of the commissioner and their office; from…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)The Minister has summarised the clause very well. We understand the intent of the Bill. We said on Second Reading that we would be a critical friend to it, and hopefully that will…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I declare an interest: I served on the Defence Committee for about seven years. Over the years, there has been a debate about the extent to which the Defence Committee and other…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)If it is about Ajax, gladly.12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I will respond in kind to what the Minister says. As he will recall, his calculation was that even if the KC that we have been debating conceptually were full-time—we can argue…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)If you were one of the service personnel who was put through hell by Phil Shiner, that would be a welfare matter for you and your family. I could read into the record stories of…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)The Minister is nodding. We have a problem: our armed forces are shrinking. That is not necessarily purely for budgetary reasons; we are not going to get into the 2.5% of GDP…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)I do, but I have a contrary concern. People are leaving the armed forces in greater numbers than are joining. The other day, the Minister said— he will correct me if I have this…12 Dec 2024HANSARDArmed Forces Commissioner Bill (Third sitting)They are not directly comparable, but as I was coming on to say, the American Committees have a much stronger power over appointments. To illustrate my point, some debates in the…12 Dec 2024HANSARDExplosive Ordnance Disposal CommunityBefore the hon. Gentleman moves on, I would like to say that he has spoken powerfully about the work that was undertaken by British armed forces personnel during the troubles, and…11 Dec 2024HANSARDExplosive Ordnance Disposal CommunityIt is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship this morning, Mr Dowd. Having read my Order Paper over coffee, may I offer you my congratulations on your appointment to…11 Dec 2024HANSARDExplosive Ordnance Disposal CommunityPerhaps I should begin by declaring a personal family interest in this subject. My late father, Stoker First Class Reginald Francois, served on a minesweeper named HMS Bressay…11 Dec 2024