Speeches by Healey.

“On this first day after the recess, I thank all armed forces personnel who worked over Christmas, including the nearly 10,000 personnel deployed overseas, and the crew of HMS Somerset, who were recalled on Christmas day to shadow Russian vessels around our shores. I also congratulate the many exceptional servicemen and…”

“Yes, and I trust that the hon. Gentleman does too.”

“I can absolutely give the hon. Gentleman that assurance. I can also tell him that this is a national enterprise of the utmost importance that maintains the underpinning security for this nation, as it has done over decades, and that the management of our nuclear enterprise and the budget controls are in place and stron…”

“I beg to move, That this House has considered Lord Etherton’s independent review into the treatment of LGBT veterans. In July last year, Lord Etherton’s report on LGBT veterans shone a much needed light on a dark period in Britain’s military history: an era between 1967 and 2000 when LGBT people were banned from servin…”

“My right hon. Friend makes the powerful point that this discrimination, harassment and abuse—systematic in some cases—is not and was not confined in the past to the military. That concern has been raised by civilians at times within the wider defence field. I and Ministers in this team are as concerned about it there a…”

“My hon. Friend has been one of the most consistent and forceful voices on this historic abuse and demands for the Government now to provide some justice. He has raised that case in this House before. I do not know whether his constituent gave evidence to the Etherton review. If he did, he would have been one of over 1,…”

“My hon. Friend makes a moving and powerful intervention. Although courageous, relentless, energetic groups such as Fighting With Pride have in many ways led the charge, that was opened up by the stance of courageous individuals such as her constituent who had suffered but were prepared to speak out about their experien…”

“The hon. Gentleman makes a sensible point. The shadow Defence Secretary will know—he and his colleagues started this work before the election—that one of, I would argue, the strengths of the announcement and the scheme we are able to put in place today is the close work we have done with veterans’ groups and Fighting W…”

“They can expect to be able to get the full details from 9 o’clock tomorrow. They can expect to be able to complete the details and respond to the information required from tomorrow. I am conscious that, for many of these veterans, time is ticking, and I am determined that the scheme will not take long to make its prope…”

“In the next parliamentary Session, we will do an Armed Forces Bill, which is one of the periodic requirements to continue to have an Armed Forces. That is the vehicle through which I am looking to legislate in full. Between now and then, led by our Veterans Minister, we are encouraging as wide views as possible on how …”

“There is certainly a role for Government, and a particular responsibility for the Defence Secretary, but our Parliament on all sides has a role, on Ukraine, for example, to help people see as clearly as possible a number of things. The first is that the Ukrainians are fighting for their sovereignty and their right to t…”

“Partly as an extension of the point I just made, I do not think it is productive to try to talk in hypotheticals until we are clear about the approach that the new Administration may want to take on a number of fronts, including on Ukraine. I, and we as a Government, are very clear. We have done this from day one. On d…”

“No. I feel that the case for increasing the defence spend is there. That is why I recognised and argued for it before the election, and it is why, as a new Government, we have made a commitment to doing so. I am quite sceptical of sweeping statements—if I may, Mr Martin—that somehow the election result changes the stra…”

“Perhaps General Magowan can talk about Typhoon from a military capability point of view. From an industrial point of view, it is an essential part of a thriving, flourishing and very productive industrial base in this country. It is really important that we do our bit, as Ministers and as the UK Government, to make sur…”

“We are committed to it. It is a really important programme. General Rob has underlined that. The Prime Minister has said we are committed to this. Clearly, we have got the strategic defence review under way, but I have made it one of my areas of major focus in my four months in this job to maintain the momentum in that…”

“You would not be able to exercise with the Australians or the Japanese or the Koreans, or the extent of the US, in those different parts. You could not replicate the extent of part of the elements that the carrier strike group tour is planning. There is a value; otherwise, I would not be sending it.”

“I think there is a great deal of potential value in the carrier strike group undertaking this tour. There is military and exercising advantage, alliance building and consolidating advantage, and economic and diplomatic advantage, as long as we plan it properly.”

“No, I would like to be able to make more of the extraordinary network of defence people in uniform and civilians that we already have. I think there is a great deal more we can do alongside the FCDO.”

“There is also a really important element of military-to-military relationships and the role of defence in diplomacy and the exercise of UK interests and influence around the world.”

“I am hesitating only because I have not applied those two lenses to that broad figure, so I simply could not give you an answer to that directly. It is a very specific question, and I cannot give you that answer.”