Speeches by Sandher-Jones.

“He is very welcome to check Hansard, where he will see that I was very specifically referring to people spreading misinformation. He will be able to see it there in black and white in Hansard.”

“I urge the right hon. Gentleman to remember the really serious issues that are at stake here. The priorities of this Government, as we have shown repeatedly, are to do right by the families of more than 200 British service personnel who were murdered in Northern Ireland and to ensure that we have protections and approp…”

“In addition to the measures I have outlined to speed up recruitment, we are looking at expanding novel ways of entry into the armed forces, such as direct entry in the cyber stream. We are hugely focused on retention, and this is a very personal mission for me, having left the forces in 2020 and knowing what measures m…”

“As an Army veteran, and indeed a female Army veteran, this mission is deeply personal to me. More work must be done to improve service life for women in our armed forces. The two remaining recommendations from the Committee’s report—the launch of the veterans strategy and the publication of the tri-service sexual haras…”

“The hon. Member makes a good point, and as someone who had to wear the body armour, I am fully on board. Progress is under way to address the very points she mentions.”

“My hon. Friend raises an important case, and I am sure that everybody who read the report into Jaysley-Louise Beck’s death would agree that it was a hugely tragic and deeply saddening case. There is a duty on me—one which I feel very deeply—to make sure that we do everything we can to address the behaviours my hon. Fri…”

“As the hon. Member will be aware, the Ministry of Defence accepted 33 of the Committee’s recommendations, partially accepted a further four recommendations and noted 13 points that were conclusions rather than recommendations. There are three recommendations that we are not implementing, but it must be stressed that we…”

“It was without doubt a huge honour and privilege last week to attend the unveiling of the Etherton memorial, commemorating the life and legacy of the late Lord Etherton. We have now paid £20 million in total to veterans under the LGBT financial recognition scheme, and I can assure my hon. Friend that, to me, the monume…”

“We have significant processes in place before exit to ensure a smooth transition, particularly to manage personnel who are wounded, injured or sick, and the Valour initiative should help us take steps to better co-ordinate support for veterans. I can assure my hon. Friend that improving how service personnel leave the …”

“It was clear to see how much that event meant to the LGBT+ veterans, many of whom had suffered terribly under the ban. Many said to me that they never thought this day would come. I hope that the event itself and the memorial will serve as a lasting reminder of our responsibilities going forward.”

“I thank the hon. Member for raising an important point. Making sure that service personnel who leave under the medical discharge are fully set up for success in their post-service life is fundamental and a huge priority for me.”

“I thank the hon. Member for raising the case of her constituent. If she writes to me with the details, I will look into exactly why it has taken that long.”

“We will shortly start our single living accommodation review to address exactly those points—the sometimes shocking state of such accommodation and what we can do to support the people who live in it.”

“I share my hon. Friend’s disappointment. Valour is a £50 million programme that will bring together a network of regional hubs to ensure that there is a physical location where veterans can go to seek help. I urge every region of the UK to get involved.”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right to highlight the particular struggles faced by female service leavers, and I would like to assure her that, through Operation Restore, there are specific pathways for veterans, including those who need musculoskeletal support.”

“I would like to reassure the hon. Gentleman that serving in the armed forces is a fantastic career for any young person. The experiences and skills that one can gain from a career in the armed forces are second to none; I for one am deeply grateful for all the opportunities I had when I served, and I would urge all you…”

“Seeing as the right hon. Gentleman is attacking me for something I did not say, I can only assume that he cannot attack me—”

“It is in Hansard, absolutely—I urge the right hon. Gentleman to reread it to see the full quote. This Government are committed to protecting those who serve. Our first and foremost priority is to protect and ensure the welfare of those who have served, just as we have done for many people who have served in our armed f…”

“My hon. Friend is right that we must celebrate everybody who contributes to our armed forces, no matter their gender or other protected characteristics. The commitment of this Government to protecting and serving those who serve this nation is total.”

“We have been very clear in the strategic defence review that we are committed to growing the Army. Under this Government, we have driven improvements to the recruiting process, stripping out outdated medical policies, reducing the time it takes to receive candidate medical records and widening cross-Government data sha…”