Oral Answers to Questions

Alistair Strathern Excerpts

Monday 2nd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[John Healey]

The hon. Lady makes an important point. The doubling in this Parliament of our investment into autonomy will be directed in significant part towards marine technology. Her part of the world—the south-west—plays a leading role in that. She urges action across Government, so I hope she will see that the shipbuilding and marine autonomy plan that we will publish shortly will show exactly what we are doing on a number of fronts.

[Alistair Strathern (Hitchin) (Lab)]

T7. When visiting UK service personnel overseas at a NATO airbase, I was appalled to learn that many had been penalised by their home insurers by virtue of being posted abroad, despite the fact that these companies have signed up to the armed forces covenant. That goes against the very principle of the covenant, so I was glad that, after writing to many home insurance companies, a few, including Aviva and Hastings, have changed that policy. Does the Minister agree that, if insurers are going to sign up to the covenant, they need to make sure that they are living up to every single part of its important principles?

[The Minister for Veterans and People (Louise Sandher-Jones)]

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. I know that more than 14,000 private organisations have signed the armed forces covenant, and one of its core principles is that service personnel should face no disadvantage compared with other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. I am glad that some insurance companies have taken steps to address this issue, and I urge all businesses to ensure that their policies fully support the armed forces community and reflect their commitment to the covenant.