UK Parliament / Open data

Armed Forces Bill

Proceeding contribution from Lord Beamish (Labour) in the House of Commons on Thursday, 15 October 2015. It occurred during Debate on bills on Armed Forces Bill.

The hon. Gentleman makes a good point, however. It is not just the equipment and how we deploy things that has changed. The armed forces do not sit in a vacuum away from the rest of society, and that is one of the main issues for consideration. Things that were acceptable 20, 30 or 40 years ago for young people who joined the armed forces no longer are. When I was a Minister talking to senior military personnel, I heard that young people were far more questioning, although not in a disrespectful way, and more knowledgeable about their rights. They wanted to engage rather than take instructions. That is a challenge for the armed forces. We need to ensure that there are mechanisms in place for when things go wrong and, as I said in an intervention during the speech from the hon. Member for Portsmouth South (Mrs Drummond), a safety valve to deal with complaints.

About this proceeding contribution

Reference

600 c542 

Session

2015-16

Chamber / Committee

House of Commons chamber

Subjects

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