Speeches by Sandher-Jones.

“I am not going to do that today. I would point out that we are making investments without the DIP being finalised. A lot of people are working very hard on it. I am sure that everyone here would recognise the importance of getting this right. It is a hugely important piece of work, and we have to get it right. It is ri…”

“I think it is relevant to go back to your earlier question. In 2025, 51% of individuals who raised a service complaint said that they were happy with the objectivity and fairness of the handling of their complaint. That was an improvement of 13% compared with 2024. Obviously, 51% is not good enough. But 44% were satisf…”

“I have a huge amount of respect for George Robertson; the work that he put into the strategic defence review made for a phenomenal piece of work. I think it is fair to say that we recognise the importance of the recommendations—we have accepted them, we are progressing at pace and some have already been delivered. We h…”

“I will to turn to Sam, who can talk about the victim and witness care unit.”

“No, but I want to reiterate how important the chaplaincy service is. I am not somebody with faith, but I really value the chaplaincy service and what they provide.”

“Honestly, I would say the best place was in the Army. I am not saying that just because I am here in front of you in this role. One of the most important things that I take seriously as a Minister is holding the MoD to account. It is a strange role: I am not here to defend it or lead it; I am here to hold it to account…”

“Yes—I have personal experience of this. I can think back to an exercise we did at Sandhurst where, for various reasons, the female platoon got the body armour but you just had whatever size there was, and people just had to grab whatever there was. In a subsequent exercise, lots of women were injured, and some people s…”

“Education of people when they come in, so that they can recognise those standards, and so that they can recognise and understand the full range of options available to them. I do not think that, if I just stopped a member of the Armed Forces in the street, they would know all the options available to them. Certainly I …”

“That is an important point. There are two distinct stages when you have been a victim of unacceptable behaviour. There is the system that kicks in when something is reported, and I think we can point to a lot of things that we have done to improve the system when it is reported. The worry for me is when things are not …”

“I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his hugely important and tireless work on this issue. The whole country owes a profound and enduring debt of gratitude to this generation, who helped to pioneer this technology at the very dawn of the nuclear age, and their immense contribution remains as important to UK defence tod…”

“I am very conscious of how long the nuclear test veterans have been fighting for this, and of how many Ministers they have met. I recognise that the onus is on us to deliver, not just to say words. I repeat that I do not wish to suggest anything that may need updating should new information emerge. However, I give the …”

“I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Salford (Rebecca Long Bailey) for securing this debate and for all her tireless work on behalf of our nuclear test veterans, and I want to extend my best wishes to her mum as well. When we come to this House and when we speak, we have our intent, but it is very important that we ac…”

“Absolutely. We are in constant dialogue with them about the right time to have that meeting. I am aware of its importance to the veterans. The Secretary of State, as well as my predecessor as Minister for Veterans and People—the Minister for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (Al Carns…”

“indicated assent.”

“No, I need to make time. Our £1 billion contract for new medium helicopters has helped to secure the future of the Leonardo plant in Yeovil, sustaining more than 3,000 jobs. We have spent millions more on drone procurement and development, including, earlier this month, an order for 20 uncrewed surface vessels, which w…”

“Our debate today reflects—or should reflect—the seriousness of the global security situation we now face. In eastern Europe, in the Mediterranean and around the world, our service personnel are working so hard, sacrificing so much and facing risk on our behalf. We have lived through—and I served through—a Government th…”

“I beg to move, That the Committee has considered the draft Armed Forces Commissioner (Family Definition, and Consequential and Transitional Provision etc.) Regulations 2026. It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Desmond. These draft regulations were laid before the House on 15 January 2026. Their purpo…”

“I thank the hon. Gentleman for his support of the regulations. To answer his questions, the new Armed Forces Commissioner and his office are expected to be operational from April; I hope that also addresses some of the hon. Gentleman’s concerns about a possible gap with the service complaints process. Long-term relatio…”

“My hon. Friend is exactly right to point out just how valuable that question is. It should be asked. It is valuable in setting out data to enable us to go forward. I will absolutely take up that issue.”

“The Government have reset the relationship with our nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them, and we appreciate the vital contribution that they made to keeping this country safe. We remain absolutely committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them.”