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.”

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

“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.”

“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…”

“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 Under this Government, we have driven improvements to the recruiting process, stripping out outdated medical policies, reducing the time it takes to receive candidate medical records and widening cross-Government data sha…”

“As a big proponent of the cadets, I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we will ensure that all the benefits of the cadets are available across the country.”

“I am delighted to hear about the fantastic opportunities given by the air cadets in my hon. Friend’s constituency. I can assure him that delivering the 30 by 30 expansion programme requires a detailed assessment of key foundational areas, including cadet growth, the adult volunteer proposition and the cadet estate. Pla…”

“As announced in the strategic defence review, we are working to deliver a 30% expansion of in-school and community-based cadet forces by 2030. The campaign is backed by £70 million of new investment and will increase our cadets by an estimated 40,000 across the UK, providing the opportunity for many more young people t…”

“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 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.”

“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 raises an important point about how we make sure that the armed forces covenant, when it is put into law, is delivered consistently, and that those working across our country are held to account for their delivery of it. I hope to update him with more details soon. On the covenant, I thank my hon. Friend…”

“We are fortunate to have a wonderful charity sector made up of charities both large and small, some with quite broad remits and some, as my hon. Friend mentions, very focused. I am always blown away by people’s dedication to supporting our veterans, and I applaud their valuable work.”

“As the hon. Member knows, I spent some time in his constituency while at Sandhurst. It is an area with deep connections to the armed forces, and I certainly join him in applauding them and the charities that he mentions. The hon. Member for Strangford (Jim Shannon) and, I believe, the hon. Member for Harrogate and Knar…”

“The hon. Member is absolutely right to draw attention to the importance of a trauma-informed response. If she is able to write to me with details of the case, I will take a look at it. I was speaking about those I served alongside and about veterans across the country. They answered when our country called them, so it …”

“I certainly hope to visit Northern Ireland soon, and I am grateful for the hon. Gentleman’s invitation.”

“The hon. Member raises an important point. In common with any veteran of the war in Afghanistan, I find it interesting how the experience changes as we move away from it. There are many pathways to support. GP surgeries are often the first point of contact. I urge every veteran to flag with their GP that they are a vet…”

“I applaud the work that Doncaster council is doing to take the needs of veterans into account. As the armed forces covenant is put into law, I hope that that is exactly the sort of thing that we will see rolled out across the country. Although the data shows that almost a third of veterans are disabled, we must always …”

“I very much welcome this debate on disabled veterans. It is a hugely important topic, and I am grateful to the hon. Member for Eastleigh (Liz Jarvis) for securing it and for speaking so passionately about the subject, which I know is dear to so many. I thank her for her excellent speech and everybody else for their tho…”