Press Release: MEP CALLS FOR GREATER RESPECT OF ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES

Press Release: MEP CALLS FOR GREATER RESPECT OF ARMED FORCES PERSONNEL AND THEIR FAMILIES

On the day of the Bomber Command memorial unveiling, one West Midlands MEP has spoken out about the treatment of our armed forces.

Independent MEP Nikki Sinclaire is a member of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, and spoke out on BBC WM. The section on the radio show also highlighted the news item of the day yesterday; Service personnel in uniform being turned away from Browns in Coventry on the day of a colleagues funeral.

Ms Sinclaire told Pete Morgan on his breakfast show,

“The Royal British Legion have a motto of ‘Honour the dead, remember the living’ and I think it’s paradoxical that when we have the unveiling of the new Bomber Command Memorial, that we do not treat our current servicemen with respect.

There are redundancies, there are problems with dental care, with schooling – we need to treat our servicemen with respect”

The MEP was quick to note that current conflicts may not be popular, but this is not a reason to treat our service personnel poorly,

“These are not our soldier’s faults. If you don’t like these wars, then take them out on the politicians.”

As a part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme, Nikki undertook a visit to Afghanistan and got to speak to soldiers about their concerns.

Recalling this trip, Nikki Sinclaire told Pete,

“One of the messages I actually brought back from my visit is that people didn’t think that they were being appreciated or actually understood what work they were doing out there.

They were worried that the welfare of their families was not being taken seriously.

We need to have something in place. The Government has promised us this military covenant, and I’ve spoken to every local authority throughout this region with a mixed response.

We have a real problem and we owe a real duty to these people who put their lives on the line so we have our freedom. We need to appreciate that freedom, and we need to respect and honour them”

Nikki will be present at an event Worcester’s county hall tomorrow to witness the signing of the military covenant.

---ENDS---

Making sure the military covenant is recognised here in the West Midlands

The above picture is part of a story that was featured in a Sunday newspaper last weekend.

I am a passionate supporter of rights for troops, and got to speak to some of those in Afghanistan when I visited last November, the blog post about this can be found here.

Since returning from Afghanistan, I have written to every council in the West Midlands asking whether they adhere to the military covenant, which outlines guidelines for supporting our troops and their families in a variety of ways, from health care to housing.

The service men and women that I spoke to in Afghanistan were worried about how their families were being treated back home, (taken from my original blog post in November) "Servicemen and women took the opportunity to voice their frustration at the lack of co-operation they and their families receive from public authorities and public services. Schooling for their children, dental and doctor registration are also problems. It was also pointed out that local authorities make no provision in respect of Council Tax when service personnel are on active duty. A tour of duty lasts approximately six months. Quality of housing for their families is also an issue. Nikki will be taking up these cases with local councils to make sure the ‘Military Covenant’ is implemented without delay. "

Although I have had positive responses from the councils in terms of them stating that they do recognise the military covenant, I do still hear that soldiers and their families are still having problems finding housing, and this concerns me greatly. I will continue to push for councils to do more to help those who are in the armed forces.

Continuing my role in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme

Before making the journey to Strasbourg, I have attended a session at  Shrivenham as part of the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS).

The scheme allows politicians to explore some of the issues that the armed forces are facing and to gain a greater understanding of what is undertaken by them in their work.

Here I am at Shrivenham yesterday: