Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Douglas Carswell and Anna Soubry

Monday 12th January 2015 Commons Chamber

[Douglas Carswell (Clacton) (UKIP)]

7. What his policy is on the creation of a national defence medal.

[The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Anna Soubry)]

There is a long-standing and widely understood military tradition that medals are not awarded as a record of service but in recognition of specific campaigns or operations, acts of gallantry or outstanding service. We set up an independent review into medals and decorations, and its chair, Sir John Holmes, specifically considered this matter and decided against such a medal. That decision received royal approval.

[Douglas Carswell]

MOD tradition and protocol have an important role, but would it not just be the decent thing to recognise our veterans in this way simply because they have served their country? Would it not be wonderful to have cross-party agreement to recognise them, as happens in many other English-speaking countries around the world?

[Anna Soubry]

We absolutely recognise and pay handsome tribute to our veterans. There is no better example of that than the military covenant and all that it stands for. The fact that so many people are signing up to it—businesses, all our local authorities and so on—demonstrates that the understanding of the great sacrifices made by our veterans in their service and by their families has never been higher in the public’s imagination.