Member

Let me address some of the amendments, and explain why I believe that the Bill should proceed unamended, following a constructive Committee stage. Amendment 10, proposed by the hon. Member for South Suffolk (James Cartlidge), seeks to specify further the role of the commissioner. Although I believe that it is well intentioned, being overly prescriptive in the Bill risks inadvertently compromising the independence of the commissioner, which will be vital to his or her success. In Committee, I raised that issue with Angela Kitching from the Royal British Legion, who felt that the term “general welfare” was sufficiently understood in the military, so I do not believe that we should seek to be more prescriptive than that.