Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Jack Lopresti Excerpts
Monday 15th April 2013

(11 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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Order. I always enjoy the Minister’s answers and I listen to them very attentively, but today they are somewhat longer than were his speeches to Conservative student conferences, which we both attended together in 1985.

Jack Lopresti Portrait Jack Lopresti (Filton and Bradley Stoke) (Con)
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The two local authorities in my area, South Gloucestershire council and Bristol city council, have yet to sign up to the community covenant scheme. What more can the Government do to ensure that local authorities sign up to the covenant as a matter of priority?

Mark Francois Portrait Mr Francois
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The decision to sign a community covenant is a matter for individual local authorities, but we obviously encourage all local authorities across the country to sign up to a community covenant to show their support for the armed forces family—the wider armed forces community. I hope that will apply to the local authorities in my hon. Friend’s constituency.

I make that about 23 seconds.