Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate the attendance of (a) veterans, (b) armed forces' widows, (c) armed forces' spouses and (d) carers to the 70th anniversary D-Day commemoration events at (i) Portsmouth on 5 June 2014, (ii) London on 22 June 2014, (iii) York on 20 July 2014 and (iv) London on 16 October 2014.

The 70^th Anniversary D-Day commemorative events in Portsmouth are being organised by Portsmouth City Council, and the military is supporting the event as requested. Similarly, the Services are supporting events planned by the Normandy Veterans Association (NVA). The Department is unable to predict the numbers who may be present at any of these events and has received no requests to facilitate attendance.

The Ministry of Defence was made aware of Portsmouth City Council's planned events in April 2013. We were informed about the majority of NVA events in February 2013, and the National Memorial Arboretum event in November 2013. We have been working closely with the Royal British Legion and the NVA on the planned events to mark this significant anniversary, and have ensured that a range of Service charities and associations are kept informed, including COBSEO, the Confederation of Service Charities.