Oral Answers to Questions

Nigel Adams Excerpts

Monday 13th July 2015 Commons Chamber

[Michael Fallon]

Only the Scottish National party could regard £859 million as somehow half-hearted. We will finalise the design of the ships shortly, but we have to make sure that we get good value for taxpayer pounds.

[Nigel Adams (Selby and Ainsty) (Con)]

6. What plans he has to strengthen the armed forces covenant.

[Rishi Sunak (Richmond (Yorks)) (Con)]

9. What plans he has to strengthen the armed forces covenant.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mark Lancaster)]

The Government are honouring their pledges under the covenant and encouraging wider society to think about its contribution. The Secretary of State has written to the chief executive of every company in the FTSE 350 asking them to consider what they might do better to support our armed forces community, including by signing a corporate covenant.

The demands of service life can impose obstacles for personnel, for example in credit ratings, mortgages and even mobile phone contracts. We are taking forward work to combat commercial disadvantage as a priority.

[Nigel Adams]

I am keen for companies in my part of north Yorkshire to sign up to the corporate covenant. Can the Minister update the House on what plans he has to extend the scheme across the country?

[Mark Lancaster]

As I mentioned, the Secretary of State has already written to the chief executives of the 350 largest companies, but the House could do worse than follow the example set by my hon. Friend who is, I know, a champion of the armed forces in his constituency. In light of that, I intend to write to all hon. Members to offer them an information pack and to encourage them to engage with companies in their constituencies, so that we can extend the corporate covenant across the UK.