Oral Answers to Questions

Kirsten Oswald Excerpts

Monday 27th June 2016 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fallon]

The schedule for the Type 26s has not yet been set. These ships are likely to cost between £500 million and £1 billion each, and I will not sign a contract for these ships until I am satisfied that they represent good value for the Royal Navy and good value for the taxpayer.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

5. What steps he is taking to promote the welfare of armed forces personnel.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Julian Brazier)]

In January, the Department published the first ever armed forces families strategy, embracing seven key themes—partner employment, accommodation, children’s education and childcare, community support, specialist support, health and wellbeing, and transition. We have reviewed our casualty and compassionate processes, and this autumn we are introducing a pilot for a new welfare scheme for reservists. We continue to work to ensure that our armed forces and their families are treated fairly through the covenant.

[Kirsten Oswald]

Economic and military security assurances, as laid out in the strategic defence and security review, have been significantly weakened by the events of the last week, and this could not have come at a worse time for armed forces personnel. To give just two examples—

[Mr Speaker]

Order. I am awfully sorry, but we have not got time for two examples. I need a single, short supplementary question, with a question mark at the end.

[Kirsten Oswald]

The armed forces satisfaction survey has caused considerable concern in this regard. Does the Minister agree that the continuing welfare of our personnel should be the priority at this tumultuous time?

[Mr Brazier]

The short answer is yes. The huge number of local authorities, companies and other parts of the nation that have signed up to the armed forces covenant shows that the country as a whole is responding with a resounding yes.