Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Ministry of Defence

Oral Answers to Questions

Mary Glindon Excerpts
Monday 6th July 2020

(3 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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James Heappey Portrait James Heappey
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My hon. Friend asks an excellent question. Her Majesty’s Government aim to build resilient overseas territories with good governance, diversified economies and prosperous communities that are all able to deal with and recover better from crises. For example, the Ministry of Defence is delivering maritime-security capacity building in the Caribbean and supporting the Cayman Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands to establish new reserve defence regiments.

Mary Glindon Portrait Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)
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What assessment he has made of the contribution of the armed forces in tackling the covid-19 outbreak.

James Heappey Portrait The Minister for the Armed Forces (James Heappey)
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At the peak of our covid covert response, some 20,000 troops were at readiness, and more than 4,000 of them were deployed at any one time at peak. Cumulatively, over the course of the pandemic more than 14,000 military and civilian personnel in the Ministry of Defence have been involved in the Government’s response to the pandemic.

Mary Glindon Portrait Mary Glindon [V]
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Our armed forces have been invaluable in delivering for the whole nation during the pandemic, but for the second year running they have not received their pay award on time. Will the Minister put things right and say precisely when our forces can expect to receive their pay rise?

James Heappey Portrait James Heappey
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I join the hon. Lady in praising the response of our armed forces to the covid pandemic; they have been absolutely extraordinary. Armed forces pay is a matter for the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. I will find out exactly what its recommendations are and when they are due to be implemented and write to the hon. Lady.