Charlotte Cane
Main Page: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)Department Debates - View all Charlotte Cane's debates with the Ministry of Defence
(1 day, 21 hours ago)
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Louise Sandher-Jones
In addition to the measures I have outlined to speed up recruitment, we are looking at expanding novel ways of entry into the armed forces, such as direct entry in the cyber stream. We are hugely focused on retention, and this is a very personal mission for me, having left the forces in 2020 and knowing what measures might have helped retain me in service for longer. We are utterly dedicated to addressing the reasons that people give for leaving, not least with our multibillion-pound investment into fixing forces housing.
Charlotte Cane (Ely and East Cambridgeshire) (LD)
The Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones)
As an Army veteran, and indeed a female Army veteran, this mission is deeply personal to me. More work must be done to improve service life for women in our armed forces. The two remaining recommendations from the Committee’s report—the launch of the veterans strategy and the publication of the tri-service sexual harassment survey results—will be completed this month. The report was a very useful catalyst in holding the Ministry of Defence to account on many initiatives through the Raising our Standards programme.
Charlotte Cane
Our servicewomen urgently need investment in female-specific tactical equipment, particularly bras and body armour. What steps is the Minister taking to provide funding for research, development and implementation of kit for the female anatomy and to ensure that fitting services and task-appropriate provision are standard across the forces?
Louise Sandher-Jones
The hon. Member makes a good point, and as someone who had to wear the body armour, I am fully on board. Progress is under way to address the very points she mentions.