argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): We should always look to do more to honour the sacrifices that individuals have made. Armed Forces Day is supposed to be the day that we do that, and I have asked my officials to undertake some work so we can ensure that Armed Forces Day is a day for them, not just about them. It is incredibly important that we ensure that our veterans, our service personnel and their families can really enjoy the day, not have to do extra shifts. On that point, I would praise Salisbury, which held Armed Forces Day this year for the nation. It arranged some amazing events for the public and also put on some spectacular events for serving personnel, families and veterans, including free concerts.
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Mark Gino Francois (Conservative, Centre-right): One group of veterans who undoubtedly deserve our respect are the veterans of Northern Ireland who served for years on Operation Banner to uphold the rule of law against the IRA, yet some of them now face subsequent investigation—even up to 50 years on, even including Chelsea Pensioners—while those in the IRA are off scot-free with letters of comfort from Tony Blair. Does the Secretary of State agree with me that, as some have recently suggested, to "treat both sides the same" is not only patently ludicrous, but a deep insult to all those veterans without whose courage there would never have been a Good Friday agreement in the first place?
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend will know my views on this matter. Although we have obligations under the Stormont House agreement and have to approach these things in different ways, our obligations to our veterans—whether they have served in an operation on UK soil or overseas—are the same.
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): That sounds like an appalling situation, and I thank the hon. Lady for raising it. The Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), will be very happy to meet Tony, and I will get my officials to talk to her after this session.
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Robert Alexander Stewart (Conservative, Centre-right): May I ask my right hon. Friend to ensure that, all these years later, someone in the Ministry of Defence checks on veterans from Northern Ireland who were grievously hurt there—such as Lance Corporal William Bell and Private Mark Young from my own company, when 17 people were killed—to make sure that they are having a good life, or as good a life as possible?
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
James Whiteside Gray (Conservative, Centre-right): The whole of Wiltshire was delighted to welcome the Secretary of State, together with the Princess Royal and a whole host of other luminaries, to Salisbury last Saturday to celebrate Armed Forces Day. Of course, it is right that we think very carefully about veterans and their needs, particularly those suffering from the physical or mental after-effects of warfare. None the less, does the Secretary of State agree that the purpose of Armed Forces Day is to think very carefully about the 200,000 fit, healthy and committed young men and women who are today serving our armed forces, to celebrate their commitment to their duties, and to wish them well as they do it?
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend and again praise Salisbury for its work in ensuring that service personnel and their families had an amazing few days. As we take the event forward, however, we need to ensure that, as an additional Saturday on which to work, it does not put a burden on our armed forces. We should be doing more free events, and businesses across the land should consider how they can contribute to making that day special.
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with the hon. Gentleman completely. We are talking about the armed forces of the United Kingdom. Wherever they are serving, wherever they are based and wherever they are from, I want them to be able to take part in events, and I also want to ensure that the public services provided to them are as they should be.
Veterans: Recognition — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I acknowledge the work that the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood) has done on veterans support, including through the gateway and the veterans strategy, on which we are currently consulting. I have also been doing work in the Department, looking at our obligations and how we are constituted.
Veterans: Universal Credit — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Anne-Marie Belinda Trevelyan (Conservative, Centre-right): Will the Secretary of State meet me to discuss further how we can create the position of an armed forces covenant ombudsman, who would be an advocate for those who, like the constituent of the hon. Member for Coventry South (Mr Cunningham), cannot get the resources they need from our public services and whose MPs are also unable to make progress?
Veterans: Universal Credit — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I am aware that my hon. Friend has done a huge amount of work on this important matter, not least by lobbying me many times. She will be aware that the armed forces covenant is growing—we now have almost 4,000 signatories—but it is important that if somebody signs the covenant it meets their expectations. If it fails or falls foul of that, we need a system to recognise that. She raises a very interesting idea. I have spoken to the Secretary of State about it and we would be delighted to meet her to discuss it further.
Veterans: Universal Credit — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful for that question. It has been raised many times and it is important to put it in context and in perspective. Not everybody who joins the armed forces will be affected—just two in every 1,000 people —but they need the attention and support that they absolutely deserve. The Secretary of State is meeting the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to discuss that very matter.
Outsourced Contracts — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman’s assessment. The Minister for the Armed Forces, my hon. Friend right hon. Member for Milton Keynes North (Mark Lancaster) may have the opportunity to speak on this matter in a little bit more detail in a later question, but we are seeing a change in the trend. More people are showing an indication of interest in the armed forces. It is important we translate that into ensuring they actually sign up, but last year alone we had 77,000 applications of interest for the armed forces. I think that is a good step forward.
Outsourced Contracts — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises an important issue. It is not just the big companies—aerospace and defence companies—we must look to support, but the SMEs, which are in every one of our constituencies. I am assured by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for Pudsey (Stuart Andrew), the Minister with responsibility for procurement, that that is exactly what is happening.
Outsourced Contracts — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I do not agree with the hon. Gentleman’s assessment; it is important that we provide value for money. The defence budget is under pressure, as are all other Government Departments. He is absolutely right to say that Capita was going to be given the contract. It is subject to a legal challenge and we have to wait to see that mature, but let us not forget that even on Labour’s watch we had the outsourcing of fire contracts to other organisations, not least in Cyprus as well as at other bases including Aldermaston. This is not new; it is something that we have to advance.
Outsourced Contracts — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): The issue is to do with the key performance indicators, as I think the hon. Gentleman will agree. According to the standards that we see, 97% meet the requirements. We find that those indicators are set too low, and the Secretary of State is very conscious of that and of the need to raise them. We are reconciling the defence real estate to make sure that we improve accommodation, but I will not hide away from the fact that this has been very difficult, and we owe our armed forces personnel much, much better.
Veterans: Monitoring Schemes — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Thomas Christopher John Pursglove (Conservative, Centre-right): I am grateful to the Minister for that encouraging reply. What case will he be making, as part of the forthcoming comprehensive spending review, to increase support for charities that provide mentoring for veterans, including particularly those in the criminal justice system, such as Care after Combat, which does brilliant work in that area?
Veterans: Monitoring Schemes — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend raises two issues. I join him in paying tribute to Care after Combat; what it does to provide support for those who find themselves imprisoned or on the wrong side of the law is absolutely brilliant, and we should all tip our hats to that. However, we must also recognise that the defence budget is under strain. It was affected by the spending review and austerity measures. In 2011 and 2016, we were obliged to find £5 billion-worth of efficiencies, which we did. We have subsequently been asked to find another £7 billion-worth of efficiencies. There is only so long that we can do this before it starts having an impact, and that is why it is important that we argue now, with the next spending review coming up, that we need more money for defence.
Veterans: Monitoring Schemes — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I know that the hon. Gentleman knows a lot about this issue. He is absolutely right to say that the advancement in the science now reflects the fact that even if someone can walk away from a blast, they can be affected long term by what has happened, and we are learning from the Americans on that. We have our transition programme, which can last up to two years to make sure that we manage the transition from the world of the armed forces to civilian life, but I absolutely agree with him that more can be done in this area.
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): This Government have invested heavily in strengthening the UK’s armed forces so that we can deliver the tasks that we require of them, from maintaining the nuclear deterrent to defending against threats in airspace, and from supporting the police in counter-terrorism to providing disaster relief. We are committed to maintaining the size of the armed forces and Joint Force 2025 will offer us choice, agility and global reach.
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to the hon. Gentleman’s family members who have served, but yes we could defend ourselves. Just the other week, I was with HMS Albion and others from the nine Joint Expeditionary Force nations. There were 44 ships and submarines. It was the largest Royal Navy deployment in that region—just off Lithuania—for 100 years. Yes, we could defend ourselves, and the size of our trained and untrained strength is growing.
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Kirstene Janette Hair (Conservative, Centre-right): It is positive policies that this Conservative Government have implemented, such as the armed forces income tax compensation for those serving in Scotland and the decision to secure the long-term future of my base, RM Condor in Angus, that mean we can continue to recruit in Scotland. Will the Secretary of State commit to visiting RM Condor to see at first hand the Government’s great work in Angus?
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Gentleman is right. We can ensure that we are much more operationally effective and that people have a better quality of life while serving in the armed forces by enabling crews to be sent out and rotations to happen without their having to come back to base port. We continually learn from those exercises. It is another example of how the fleet is changing, and I think it suits everyone that it does.
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Julian Murray Lewis (Conservative, Centre-right): Thank you, Mr Speaker I am pleased that the Secretary of State mentioned HMS Albion in an earlier answer. Does she recall that it is not that many months since her predecessor had to fend off moves to scrap HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark and to reduce the size of the Army by 11,000, the Royal Marines by 2,000 and the RAF by 1,250? Does she accept that there is a fight to be had with the real enemy here, and that is the Treasury?
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I should declare an interest, as HMS Bulwark was the last ship I served on. I am very glad that she and Albion are still going. We are approaching a spending review, and I think we need to do more to tell the Treasury and the nation how much defence brings to this country—to the prosperity agenda, social mobility, research and development, innovation, and many other things. We need to tell that story because we need to keep our armed forces strong.
Armed Services: Optimal Size — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): The pipeline for our pilots is one of the first things I asked about when I entered the Department. The numbers are improving, but it is an area where we are fragile; it is probably one of the areas where we are most fragile. That said, I would gently point out to the hon. Lady and the Opposition Front-Bench team that last I heard the leader of her party wished to reduce the headcount of our armed forces to zero.
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): We remain committed to maintaining the overall size of the armed forces, including the Army. A range of measures are under way to improve recruitment and retention, and those measures are kept under constant review. Importantly, the services continue to meet all their current commitments, keeping the country and its interests safe.
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): Let us just see whether we can debunk this myth that Army numbers are somehow in freefall. On 1 May, the total size of the British Army, including the Brigade of Gurkhas, both trained and untrained, was 85,430. As of 1 June, one month later, according to the most recent figures that we have, the total size of the British Army, including the Brigade of Gurkhas, both trained and untrained, was 85,730. That is an increase of 300.
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): As we enter the 21st century, we must accept that the armed forces are about more than simply mass. That is precisely why we are investing in technology, and it is why the battlefield of the 21st century will be a very different beast from that of the 20th. I am concerned about the drop below that figure that we have seen in recent years, but, as I have just demonstrated, we are turning the supertanker around. The size of the trained strength of the British Army can only be increased if it has untrained recruits. As I have demonstrated, we are now seeing an increase in the number of people joining the Army, and that is a positive development.
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Health
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): I am not going to predict exactly what that date will be. We are seeing an increase month on month, but that does not apply to all establishments: for example, Sandhurst has only three intakes per year and Harrogate has only one. I cannot give the exact date when the target will be hit, and I do not think that the hon. Gentleman would really expect me to, but I believe that we are now heading firmly in the right direction.
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Robert Alexander Courts (Conservative, Centre-right): I visited Carterton Community College last week and observed the striking success of the science, technology, engineering and mathematics programme set up there by RAF Brize Norton. Does the Minister agree that such programmes not only teach young people important life skills, but provide the inspiration that may lead them to take up careers in the Royal Air Force or other armed forces, which will help to increase service numbers?
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Indeed, there are many good reasons why young people would wish to join the armed forces, not least because our armed forces are now the largest provider of apprenticeships in the United Kingdom.
Armed Forces Personnel — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Mark Lancaster (Conservative, Centre-right): That is quite a complicated question, particularly when we get into the question of readiness and the ability to hold people at the appropriate readiness for the threat that we face. As I have said, technology has changed significantly; for example, not every aircraft we have in the air is now manned by a pilot. We are investing in a number of things which mean that we require less overall manpower to deliver the effect we require in the 21st century.
Veterans: Education — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): When armed forces personnel put their hand up and decide to leave the armed forces, most of them participate in a transition programme, and that includes the opportunity to complete examinations such as A-levels and GCSEs—or O-levels in our old language—as well as tertiary education. It is very important to give them the best opportunity once they depart into civilian street.
Veterans: Education — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. As the Secretary of State said, one of the advantages of having an armed force is that personnel provide such important skill sets while serving, but they can all be translated back into civilian street. It is important that we make people and society in general aware of the skill sets that are available—grip, tenacity, leadership and determination—and we must also make sure we translate military qualifications into civilian ones, to give personnel the best opportunity in life.
Mental Health Provision — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Health
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): We can be proud of the changes we have introduced through the armed forces mental health and wellbeing strategy—which I inherited when I came into this job from my predecessor as armed forces Minister. Of all the things we have been involved in, we can be particularly proud of changing the stigma associated with mental health issues in the armed forces, getting more people to talk about it and moving it towards parity with physical injury. There is still much work to do, but we are heading in the right direction.
Mental Health Provision — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Health
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): The challenge we faced was that people were reluctant to come forward. They thought that if they put their hand up and said there was something wrong with their mind, that would somehow impact on their ability to be promoted or hold them back in some way. They would keep their problems to themselves, which would then incubate and eventually they would have to quit the very thing they loved: the armed forces itself. We have changed that with our focus on promoting better resilience, prevention to stop these things happening, and earlier detection and treatment. From putting that all together we are seeing far better results with people staying in the armed forces and not being hindered or affected by mental health issues.
Mental Health Provision — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Health
Tobias Martin Ellwood (Conservative, Centre-right): I am really pleased that the hon. Lady has put this in context because a myth is perpetuated that those who join the armed forces will be affected by mental challenges, but she is right that there are other challenges that we face, not least with alcoholism. We work closely with a number of charities, and we are also doing work as part of the transition services so that people are aware of where they can get treatment early on.
Fleet Solid Support Ships — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Stuart James Andrew (Conservative, Centre-right): I remind the hon. Gentleman that we do have a team UK bid in there, and I am pleased to see that. As I have said on many occasions, we are trying to ensure that we get the very best price for all the capability we need. If we were to cancel this competition now, we would put at risk the services that we need for the carrier. That being said, we have been listening to all the debates and the many questions on this matter, and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union stating that the option to support onshore defence funding for shipbuilding should be a red line in our future relationship with the EU. Of course, that will apply only to future programmes.
VE and VJ Days: Anniversary — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Margaret Ann Throup (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my right hon. Friend for that answer. My father is a veteran of the second world war; he served in India and Burma. Like many other veterans, he will be unable to get to any of the national VE Day celebrations due to his fragility. What more can be done to ensure that all our brave veterans feel part of these important commemorations?
VE and VJ Days: Anniversary — House of Commons, 2019-07-08
Topic: Defense
Penelope Mary Mordaunt (Conservative, Centre-right): I pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s father for his service. Those who have served in our armed forces must be able to take part in those commemorative events. Indeed, they make those events; it is their stories and their presence that make them what they are. My Department will be writing to local government, and particularly to the armed forces covenant champions, to remind them that events must be accessible and that we must think about how to include in those events veterans who are too frail to travel.