Jim Shannon

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby (Alison Hume). With name like Hume, I presume that she must have some Northern Irish ancestry. I congratulate her on a superb maiden speech. Her constituents will be extremely proud of her contribution. We look forward to hearing a whole lot more from her in the future. I have a special interest in Whitby and Scarborough, simply because it is “Heartbeat” territory. I am from the generation that can remember all the songs from the 1960s, which is probably why I started to watch that programme. It is a pleasure to hear from the hon. Lady. I knew the right honourable Gentleman who represented the constituency before her, and I know that he will be just as pleased as the rest of us that she is here. It is a pleasure to participate in the debate. I declare an interest as I served in the Ulster Defence Regiment for three years, and in the Royal Artillery and Territorial Army for 11 and a half years. I am invested, as are all Members who have served in the armed forces, as well as those who have not, in the legislation before us. I am minded of the tens of thousands—probably hundreds of thousands—of people who have served in the armed forces in Northern Ireland. I am pleased to see the Minister for the Armed Forces in his place. I do not want to give him a big head, but whenever the Minister brings something to the Chamber, he always asks for our opinions and contributions, which means a lot to MPs. It is the honest way of doing things, and I thank him for that. Earlier on, the Secretary of State rightly said that this is “landmark legislation”. I think every hon. Member will greatly welcome it. I welcome the fact that the legislation will apply to Northern Ireland, something that we in Northern Ireland do not take for granted when it comes to the armed forces and what appears to be an appeasement of those who hate those armed forces in Northern Ireland. For the record, I commend Councillor Trevor Cummings, the veterans champion for Ards and North Down borough council, in my constituency of Strangford, on his great work and his interest in Army and police issues. He will welcome this legislation, just as I welcome it. We look forward to it being implemented in Northern Ireland to the same extent that it is implemented in England. I am pleased that respect and access to armed forces personnel support will be available, unlike access to the military covenant, which my party had to fight to see implemented in any form for our veterans. For too long, veterans in Northern Ireland have been treated as second class citizens, shamed for simply doing their duty. I hope this legislation signals a new approach to veterans in Northern Ireland. I asked the Minister a question in Defence questions earlier, and he came back with a very positive answer. I hope he will be able to repeat his answer, so that it is recorded in Hansard and will provide reassurance to people back home. I would like clarity about how the commissioner will ensure that those serving in all parts of the United Kingdom are treated equitably in the exercise of the new commissioner’s functions. I received a positive answer from the Minister when I asked that question earlier. Given Northern Ireland’s disproportionate contribution to reserve forces, we have a particular interest in ensuring that the commissioner provides an effective outlet for members of our armed forces and their families—it is important that we have that. How will the commissioner’s remit interact with the armed forces covenant, which was there before? There was some difficulty with that covenant, but I am encouraged by this legislation and I hope we will welcome the Bill’s Third Reading before too long. I was pleased that in the King’s Speech, there was recognition of the gratitude owed to those who have made sacrifices for our freedom and liberty. Today, we are here to scrutinise the outworking of that gratitude. In my opinion, that is not extravagant or groundbreaking, and a proper service should always have been delivered to those whose quality of life has been impacted by their service. In common with many other hon. Members, I know too many veterans whose internal scars from service have precluded them from keeping relationships with their family, keeping steady jobs or building friendships with people who simply cannot understand what they have been through. Many of those proud men and women would never apply for help, or complain about the lack of support that they have received. I welcome the fact that family members can now advocate to the Armed Forces Commissioner for services for a veteran; that is a massive step forward for veterans and their entire family unit. It is good news. Where we have seen difficulties before, we can see positives, going forward, which is good. I hope that part of the role of the Armed Forces Commissioner will be to ensure that veterans have an accessible route to support that will skip the red tape and arrive at a sensible approach. It is important that if a service member retires or leaves service while the commissioner is still processing a complaint, it is effectively transferred to the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner. Will the Minister tell us where that will fit into the process? A joined-up approach is important, so I seek assurance that that will happen. The Minister for Veterans and People is not in his place, but I know that he will be back shortly. I have invited him to visit the Beyond the Battlefield veterans centre in Portavogie in my constituency. Both the Minister for the Armed Forces and the Veterans Minister know it well, and I hope that the Veterans Minister will visit in the near future. The centre was designed and built with short-term respite for veterans in mind. It is a place for veterans and their families to come to for a break, with counselling services available, and for a change, to enjoy the peaceful and restful environment of the incomparable Ards peninsula, where I happen to live. The centre is excellent and is up and running. Harbour House provides shelter to ex-service personnel who are homeless or suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. The centre does an excellent job, for which we are very grateful. Beyond the Battlefield, a charity that helps serving and retired members of the service community, transformed a once derelict building into a dedicated veterans centre. The charity provides practical help and advice on issues such as PTSD, war pensions, benefits, housing, medals and funerals. I have been pleased, privileged and honoured to work alongside the charity’s staff to help veterans move forward and make their life better. Entering Harbour House, veterans come into a welcoming reception area with tea and coffee making facilities, and there are 10 bedroom suites. The charity does a phenomenal job. There are plans to extend the facility, and I am sure that the Veterans Minister will be asked about that when he visits. The previous Government had hoped to provide some funding. I do not want the charity to have to come to the Government cap in hand, but it wants to do what it does better, and to add to what it has in place. Those 10 bedroom suites are full all the time, but the building could be extended to increase its capacity—and it would still be full. In Northern Ireland, we have a commitment to service. We never needed conscription in Northern Ireland because we were always able to get volunteers. When the Veterans Minister comes, we will show him the phenomenal job that Beyond the Battlefield is doing. It has a coffee shop that is open to the public, which helps to meet people’s needs and is well supported, but central funding is severely lacking. It is the only veterans respite centre in Northern Ireland. Its importance cannot be sufficiently underlined. It serves and looks after veterans from the six counties, and probably further afield. Beyond the Battlefield cannot secure funding, and relies on charitable fundraising. If someone wants a cup of coffee or a meal, Harbour House has been commended for its food. There is scope for more rooms to be created, and more good work to be done. The installation of the armed forces commissioner has been endorsed and supported by everybody, because it is the right thing to do, and will be best for everyone across this great United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. It will provide greater focus on the needs of our armed forces and veterans, and I believe that support for projects such as Beyond the Battlefield will naturally flow from it. I again thank the hon. Member for Scarborough and Whitby for setting the scene for this young man to make his contribution. She is the star; I am just a follower. Most of us in this House attended remembrance services last week. We are all aware of the debt that we owe to not simply those who gave their life in the world wars, but all those who have served—in guerrilla warfare from Afghanistan to Armagh, and from Erbil to Enniskillen. The debt is not paid in one day, with the recitation of a poem—I do not mean that disrespectfully—but through living and breathing. I hope that the creation of this post will breathe fresh air into the obligation that we have to those who offer us their all; I am convinced that it will.