argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Armed Forces: Social Mobility — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: What progress his Department has made on promoting social mobility and equal opportunities throughout the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that there is no glass ceiling. He brings out two brilliant examples of where women in our armed forces can achieve so much and make such a difference. We all recognise that we need to get more women joining all three services. The contribution and value that they bring is enormous, and the opening up of all roles, including close combat roles, has been vitally important in doing so.
Armed Forces: Social Mobility — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: What progress his Department has made on promoting social mobility and equal opportunities throughout the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman makes a very strong point about maybe expanding our armed forces. We should feel proud that we are the largest employer of apprentices in this country—19,000 service personnel are currently in an apprenticeship—and that we continue to lead on this. The value that these apprenticeships bring is not just to the services; there is also the contribution to wider society, as service personnel often pursue a second career after they leave.
Armed Forces: Social Mobility — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: What progress his Department has made on promoting social mobility and equal opportunities throughout the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
Rebecca Faye Clark (Pow) (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the Secretary of State once again for retaining 40 Commando in Taunton. It is a momentous decision and great for Taunton. That said, only 9% of British soldiers are female. Does he agree that opening up all combat roles to women will make a real difference to our armed forces? I look forward to the first ones joining the Marines.
Armed Forces: Social Mobility — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: What progress his Department has made on promoting social mobility and equal opportunities throughout the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to my hon. Friend, who did so much in campaigning to keep the Royal Marines in Taunton; they play an important role in the local community. I very much look forward to the first female recruits joining the Royal Marines. I am sure they will be welcomed by the whole corps.
Armed Forces: Social Mobility — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: What progress his Department has made on promoting social mobility and equal opportunities throughout the armed forces; and if he will make a statement.
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): One of the key drivers of recruitment is increasingly online, but we need always to look at how we reach out into local communities. I remember how the Green Howards often used to visit my school in Scarborough sending out the message of what an Army career could deliver. We need to look at how we can get service personnel out into the community recruiting.
Service Personnel: Statute of Limitations — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): We take the prosecution of veterans very seriously. Our service personnel are of course subject to the law, but veterans should not have to face repeated investigations many years after the events in question. That is why we have a dedicated defence team looking at this complex issue. A statute of limitations, which presents significant challenges, is the subject of inquiry by the Select Committee on Defence, and we await its report with interest.
Service Personnel: Statute of Limitations — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Ranil Malcolm Jayawardena (Conservative, Centre-right): I recently met Field Marshal Lord Bramall, the former head of the armed forces, who is one of my constituents. Since last year when so many of my constituents signed the petition on this issue, how has my right hon. and gallant Friend been ensuring that the political context of the troubles, which Lord Bramall’s book, "The Bramall Papers", describes, is taken into account in today’s politically motivated witch hunts?
Service Personnel: Statute of Limitations — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): Having served as Chief of the General Staff and then as Chief of the Defence Staff during the height of the troubles, Lord Bramall clearly brings a unique perspective to these difficult issues. The House will understand that prosecutorial decisions in Northern Ireland are taken by the Public Prosecution Service and that the PPS is independent both of the UK Government and of the Northern Ireland Executive. The Government recognise, however, that the current system for dealing with the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past is not working well for anyone, and that is why the Ministry of Defence is working closely with the Northern Ireland Office on new arrangements, including to ensure that our armed forces and police officers are not unfairly treated.
Service Personnel: Statute of Limitations — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Julian Murray Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): Members of the Defence Committee were very pleased by the way Ministers set up the dedicated unit to look into this question and by the work the Attorney General has been doing. Have the proposals that are apparently to be brought forward in the Queen’s Speech yet been finalised and accepted at Cabinet level?
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): The armed forces covenant not only obliges Government Departments to recognise their duty to support armed forces personnel and veterans and their families, but encourages organisations and businesses across the country to do the same. I am pleased to say that there are now more than 3,300 signings, and we are signing about 25 companies or organisations each week.
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Health
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady has packed a lot into one question, and it is very important indeed. The critical aspect is removing stigma and enabling people to step forward and say "I’m not okay" without feeling that there will be reprisals, and, thanks to the mental health and wellbeing strategy of 2017, we are doing exactly that. It is taking a while to change the culture, but more people are now willing to step forward and say "Let me get checked out, let me get sorted, let me get back into the line" without fearing that doing so might damage their promotion prospects.
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
William David Wiggin (Conservative, Centre-right): Why should commercial organisations take this matter seriously when the Ministry of Defence has not yet managed to change its demand for British meat so that our armed forces can be fed the finest meat in the world?
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I understand that this issue dates back to a former armed forces Minister’s time many years ago. When we were back in office a couple of decades ago, we discussed it ourselves. I will certainly look into it, but I encourage all those organisations—despite their issues with meat—to sign the armed forces covenant and support our brave veterans and armed forces personnel.
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Health
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman for the personal interest that he takes in this issue. He is absolutely right: people need signposts so that they know where to go. We are working far more closely with NHS England and the devolved Administrations to understand where the complex treatment services are, and to ensure that when people make the transition, they are handed across to the civilian agency that will look after them.
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): It is wonderful for me, as the founder of the all-party parliamentary group on the armed forces covenant, to see an Order Paper that is full of those three words, which did not exist a few years ago. This is a conversation that is critical to the House. Will the Minister meet me to move forward the discussion about the creation of an armed forces covenant ombudsman, so that when the issues raised by colleagues get stuck and we cannot find a solution, we have a real authority to fix things?
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to my hon. Friend for the work that she has done on this issue as chair of the APPG. I should be more than delighted to meet her. It is important that we carry out the necessary scrutiny and are seen to be doing so, and that we do what is best for our veterans.
Armed Forces Covenant — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Health
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I was delighted to address the Committee on this matter only the other day, and to discuss it. It is absolutely true that we need to follow the money. We know that £21 billion has been given to the NHS to cover the next 10 years, of which a proportion will go to mental health. The Prime Minister herself wants to see parity between mental and physical health and wellbeing, so let us make sure that we can identify where those funds are. I hope that I, or the Defence Secretary, will have a meeting with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care as soon as possible to see what more can be done.
Capita — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): The Army continues to work closely with Capita with multiple interventions now in place and the delivery of improvements. Regular soldier applications remain at a five-year high with this year’s "Your Army needs you" advertising campaign seeing over 15,000 applications in January alone. It will take longer to see increases to trained strengths due to the length of the recruitment and training pipeline.
Capita — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): I answered that question earlier and, with respect to the hon. Lady, she clearly did not listen to the answer I just gave her. Applications are up; there is the start of a process. One of the confusions the House has is that we talk about trained strength, which is the number—93% manned in respect of the Army—but that is after a very long process of going through not only basic training but, for example, for Royal Engineers also combat engineer training and then trade training. So this can take up to 18 months from the first time somebody puts a uniform on and considers themselves to be part of the Army. Those in training do not go home and say "I’m not in the Army because I am not fully trade trained yet." There are some 5,000 soldiers now in that process who are wearing a uniform but are not included in the numbers; in time they will join the Army and we are seeing that uplift. It is the time lag that this House is not fully understanding, but I understand why.
Capita — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Richard Michael John Ogilvie Graham (Conservative, Centre-right): In terms of the effectiveness of recruitment, my right hon. Friend will know that we recruit many armed forces servicemen and women from the Commonwealth, but is he aware of the Royal British Legion campaign to eliminate the current high costs of their applications for indefinite leave to remain, to which they are eligible after four years’ service? This can cost almost £10,000 for a family of four; does my right hon. Friend agree it is time that this issue was tackled in order that we recruit more from the Commonwealth?
Air Defence Radar Systems and Offshore Wind Sites — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): The Ministry of Defence’s first priority is always to guarantee that the UK is able to meet its national security obligations, which include ensuring that our air defence radar systems can operate effectively. The Ministry is supportive of the offshore wind sector deal, and we remain keen to work closely across Government and with the industry to support this.
Defence Industry: Exports and Jobs — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): In 2017, the UK won defence orders worth £9 billion, making us the second largest global defence exporter. We work actively with the Department for International Trade to support industry, and recent successes include the export of the Type 26 to Canada and Australia, and the US Department of Defence awarding a further £500 million-worth of support work for the F-35 programme in north Wales.
Defence Industry: Exports and Jobs — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Neil Quentin Gordon Parish (Conservative, Centre-right): Supacat, the leading specialist in the design and development of high-mobility defence vehicles, is located in my constituency. If it wins a contract in Denmark, it has to offset 60% of that work in Denmark with supplying those vehicles to the Danish Government, yet that is not something that we do here. Will the Minister meet Supacat to discuss what more could be done to ensure that we secure high-skilled defence jobs in this country when defence contracts are lost to foreign companies?
Defence Industry: Exports and Jobs — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course I would be more than happy to meet my hon. Friend and the company in his constituency. The UK and many of our closest international defence partners do not use offset because it can distort the market and lead to reduced value for money, but we look at alternative ways to encourage more inward investment. That is why we are working closely with Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and we are aiming for 60% of the Boxer programme to be undertaken in the UK.
Defence Industry: Exports and Jobs — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: It was a pleasure to see the Minister in Glasgow on Friday for the naming of HMS Tamar, which, when it was ordered, was classified as a complex warship. Now, under the national shipbuilding strategy, it is no longer considered to be a complex warship. Leaving that bizarre situation aside, given the precarious situation faced by numerous British shipbuilders such as Harland and Wolff, which is facing administration, the further job losses at Rosyth and the closure of the Appledore shipyard, what are the Government doing to ensure that the consideration of the bid for the fleet solid support ships contract will be weighted so that the UK economic prosperity consideration is factored into the awarding of that contract, so that the UK consortium will prevail?
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): It was a pleasure to see the hon. Gentleman in Glasgow. That was a great event and I was happy to be there. He will know that we are trying to make UK industry as competitive as possible. That is why we are putting this out to international competition; it is not described as a warship. That said, I am delighted that there is a team UK, a consortium of UK shipbuilders, bidding into that competition. There will also be lots of opportunities for the supply chain, which has benefited from other competitions that went international, such as that for the military afloat reach and sustainability—MARS—ships.
Redundant Military Equipment — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) transportation and (b) storage of redundant sensitive military equipment; and if he will make a statement.
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): When defence equipment becomes surplus to requirements, the Defence Equipment Sales Authority disposes of it using compliant contractors or by direct sale to other Governments. Contractors who process or dispose of sensitive defence equipment are subject to a strict ongoing security assurance programme.
Defence Manufacturing: Employment Trends — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): I congratulate my hon. Friend on his work in this area and welcome the fact that GE Aviation’s investment is creating this new propeller facility. It will form part of the defence industry’s massive contribution to the south-west and provides the jobs on which many people rely.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): In this, the 50th year of the continuous at sea nuclear deterrent, the MOD is proud to continue to protect the security and stability not only of our nation, but of our allies. I will be attending the commemoration service at Westminster Abbey on 3 May, and I hope that many colleagues from both sides of the House will also be able to commemorate this important milestone.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: How does my right hon. Friend score his Department on its agreement with the Treasury to release land now considered surplus to the MOD’s requirements to the housing market?; As a proud member of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I have been privileged to visit a number of servicemen and women around the world. Does the Secretary of State agree it is a fantastic career for women, as well as men? Can he update me on what more he is doing to encourage more women to join our armed services?
Gavin Alexander Williamson (Conservative, Centre-right): As was touched upon earlier, we are very much showing and leading by example with the promotion of many women into some of the highest roles within the Army, the Navy and, of course, the Royal Air Force. We have been looking at how we do our advertising and how we reach out to encourage more women to understand there is a very positive career in our armed forces.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: How does my right hon. Friend score his Department on its agreement with the Treasury to release land now considered surplus to the MOD’s requirements to the housing market?; As a proud member of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I have been privileged to visit a number of servicemen and women around the world. Does the Secretary of State agree it is a fantastic career for women, as well as men? Can he update me on what more he is doing to encourage more women to join our armed services?
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): Of course, the reality is that NATO is the cornerstone of our defence. Although in the past we have participated in EU missions such as Operation Atalanta and Operation Althea, we will only do so in future if it is in our national interest.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Defense
Questions: How does my right hon. Friend score his Department on its agreement with the Treasury to release land now considered surplus to the MOD’s requirements to the housing market?; As a proud member of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I have been privileged to visit a number of servicemen and women around the world. Does the Secretary of State agree it is a fantastic career for women, as well as men? Can he update me on what more he is doing to encourage more women to join our armed services?; Our defence manufacturers are based in every corner of this country, many of them making a vital contribution to local and regional economies, but small and medium-sized enterprises have told me they feel disadvantaged because they cannot get down to London for many of the procurement briefings that take place. Will the Minister crack open the gates of Whitehall and get civil servants out around the country to see the brilliant work of manufacturers across our country?
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady is absolutely right, and that is exactly what we are doing. I was very pleased to host an SME forum in Belfast, and the next one will be in Wales. We have officials all over the country engaging with SMEs, because we recognise the massive contribution they can make to the defence needs of this country.
Topical Questions — House of Commons, 2019-03-25
Topic: Health
Questions: How does my right hon. Friend score his Department on its agreement with the Treasury to release land now considered surplus to the MOD’s requirements to the housing market?; As a proud member of the armed forces parliamentary scheme, I have been privileged to visit a number of servicemen and women around the world. Does the Secretary of State agree it is a fantastic career for women, as well as men? Can he update me on what more he is doing to encourage more women to join our armed services?; Our defence manufacturers are based in every corner of this country, many of them making a vital contribution to local and regional economies, but small and medium-sized enterprises have told me they feel disadvantaged because they cannot get down to London for many of the procurement briefings that take place. Will the Minister crack open the gates of Whitehall and get civil servants out around the country to see the brilliant work of manufacturers across our country?; In England, one in six people report or experience a common mental health problem in any given week. In both the Ministry of Defence and in service veteran communities there is an additional stigma that prevents individuals from seeking help. What steps is the Department taking to reduce the stigma and to support military charities such as the RAF Association that are actively supporting these individuals?
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend touches on such an important issue. If we are to retain people in the armed forces, we need to provide the necessary support on mental health issues. The Prime Minister herself has said that she wants to see parity between mental and physical health, which is exactly what the 2017 mental health strategy seeks to secure.