AS MP for a constituency which is home to the largest military garrison in the UK, the welfare of servicemen and women is very close to my heart.
So I take a great deal of satisfaction from what this Government and its predecessor Coalition administration has done to make sure the personnel based at Catterick and RAF Leeming get a fair deal.
Central to this is the Armed Forces Covenant which in the simplest terms is a pledge by the Government to ensure that those who serve, or who have served, in our Armed Forces are never placed at a disadvantage because of that service.
For too many years, despite their heroism, they have found themselves at the back of the queue for public services. But thanks to the Covenant that is changing.
In a Commons debate recently to review progress I made the point that with the help of Richmondshire District Council retiring Service personnel no longer find that they cannot meet the residency requirements to qualify for council housing.
Other practical measures introduced recently include the big four mobile phone companies allowing military personnel to suspend their contracts while serving overseas, banks and building societies making easier for services families to let out their homes while abroad and insurance companies who have agreed to waive cancellation fees and preserve no claims discounts when servicemen and women spend extended time outside the UK.
In education, with frequent school changes and single parents left to manage alone during tours of duty by their partners, the sacrifices made by members of our armed forces are often felt hardest by their children.
The Service Pupil Premium has made a real difference. It gives schools an additional £300 for every student who has parent in the Armed Forces. This money has helped schools provide much-needed pastoral support for forces children across the country.
In North Yorkshire, much good work has been done by the county council to help affected schools, like Le Cateau on Catterick Garrison whose pupils are drawn from 22 nationalities and at RAF Leeming primary where pupil turnover is more than 70 per cent a year.
Earlier this month I had the honour of giving the opening address at the North of England Service Children in State Schools (SCISS) conference in Harrogate and hearing about some of the challenges families, teachers and pupils face. For example, how do you deal with a situation where a pupil moves schools less than six months before taking their GCSEs?
While great work has and is being done, more needs to be accomplished. In the Commons debate about the Covenant I told the House that with the continuing withdrawal of troops from Germany and the further expansion of Catterick Garrison, we need to make sure we have enough school places.
We also need to improve the quality and choice of Service families’ and single servicemen and women’s accommodation. Dissatisfaction levels with existing accommodation remains high. We need to fix that, and also meet the aspirations of Service families who want to own their own home or rent in the private sector.
Lastly, an important point about the Covenant. While Government rightly takes the lead, a whole host of other organisations and companies have to play a part. It is gratifying that here in North Yorkshire 13 businesses have ‘signed up’ to doing what they can to make good on the nation’s solemn promise to its Armed Forces.