Results 1-20 of 2,306 for (in the 'Commons debates' OR in the 'Westminster Hall debates' OR in the 'Lords debates' OR in the 'Northern Ireland Assembly debates') speaker:Kevan Jones

Centre for Defence Medicine (10 Nov 2009)

Kevan Jones: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Edgbaston (Ms Stuart) on securing the debate. She has given me an opportunity to celebrate the success at Selly Oak and to say thank you to the military personnel and NHS staff who work there. She rightly mentioned service charities, and I would also like to put on record my thanks for the dedication shown by the staff at SSAFA and...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Topical Questions (2 Nov 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: The Department has a good record on veterans' mental health: we have six veterans' health pilot schemes, as well as the medical assessment programme, to which the hon. Gentleman refers, at the hospital across the river. I shall also make an announcement later this year on how we can track veterans through the NHS system—that work will be done with the Department of Health.

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Topical Questions (2 Nov 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: The commitment to priority access for veterans was part of last year's Command Paper. We have made great strides and will be producing the annual report shortly. I will also be announcing on Wednesday that the welfare pathway pilot will be conducted first in Kent, to ensure not only that local government takes the case of veteran servicemen and women as a top priority but that local NHS...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Topical Questions (2 Nov 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: The annual report will be produced shortly but, as I have said, that is a first step. Building on that, I want to ensure that the service Command Paper is embedded at a local level so that local councils, the NHS and other providers think of veterans when they are formulating policy, and the commitments that we gave in the Command Paper are carried out in practice. Clearly, in some areas that...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Topical Questions (2 Nov 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: I certainly would, and I should like to draw the House's and public's attention not only to the poppy appeal, but to the work that the Royal British Legion and other service charities do throughout the year. I should also like to put on record and thank the army of volunteers who work for the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association and for the Royal British Legion who—week...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Topical Questions (2 Nov 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: I announced in a written answer earlier this year that we would set up a study into the health effects and health needs of nuclear-test veterans. The British Nuclear Test Veterans Association has been meeting my officials to scope the study. We are now putting it out to tender, to ensure that we get a competent organisation to undertake it, and I will keep the House informed as that work goes on.

Gurkha Pensions (21 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on securing tonight's Adjournment debate on Gurkha pensions, which gives me an opportunity to explain what the Government are doing for Gurkha pension arrangements and explode some of the myths that surround them. Unfortunately, my hon. Friend has repeated some of those myths tonight. The Government recognise the debt of honour...

Gurkha Pensions (21 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: I shall return to that point, as I want to talk about equalisation. Our estimates are that it would cost about £1.5 billion over 20 years to equalise pensions, yet only 10 per cent. of Gurkhas would be beneficiaries. The British Gurkha Welfare Society says that we have been scaremongering and that our figures are wrong, but its figures are higher. I pointed out that its briefing notes...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Mental Health (13 Jul 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: Some 0.1 per cent. of regular service personnel are discharged annually for mental health reasons of whatever cause. The King's Centre for Military Health Research is undertaking an MOD-funded study of mental health disorders in both the serving and veteran community. The results will be available towards the beginning of next year and will inform mental health policies. In addition,...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Mental Health (13 Jul 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: I am very grateful for that question. I stress that the number of individuals suffering from PTSD is very small, but I am on record as saying that each case is a personal tragedy for that individual. I am working on two levels, first to ensure that GPs know about the mental health pilots and secondly, with the Department of Health, to consider a veterans tracking system so that we can track...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Mental Health (13 Jul 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: My hon. Friend makes a very important point. Unfortunately men, especially young men, are terrible at recognising mental health problems. I pay tribute, however, to all three services for raising the matter of mental health in-service. TRiM—trauma risk management—is a system of self-assessment pioneered by the Royal Marines, and it is ensuring that mental health problems do not...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Mental Health (13 Jul 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: I do not accept that there is no mental health screening for our returning veterans. It is important to recognise that the King's Centre has undertaken much research, as have the Americans. One thing that it indicates is that mental health screening pre-deployment is not effective and may actually cause more problems than it solves in the population in question. That goes right back to the...

Oral Answers to Questions — Defence: Equipment Renewal (13 Jul 2009) has video

Kevan Jones: As with any other surplus land belonging to the MOD, the aim is to obtain the maximum possible value for money, but, as I said when I last wrote to the hon. Gentleman, it is also important to ensure that there is a community buy-in. I shall be happy to meet him and local authorities to discuss how the disposal of the site can provide the maximum economic benefit for the local community as well.

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Newport, West (Paul Flynn) for securing this debate. Like the hon. Member for Aldershot (Mr. Howarth), I am disappointed that more hon. Members are not present to be involved in the debate. I pay tribute to the people who have lost their lives. It was sobering to hear my hon. Friend read out the list of names one by one. A difficult job for any Defence...

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: Again, a lot of nonsense has been talked about that. I have read in the newspapers that the military wanted increased numbers and the Prime Minister denied them that. That is just not the case. Decisions on numbers are an operational matter. We have increased the numbers for the election, and that includes improvised explosive device specialists, who are needed. The fact is that we are doing...

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: We have always made clear our position that other nations should do more, and they have done more. If we consider the numbers of Canadian troops as a proportion of the total, it is quite high. The most senior Dutch general lost his son in Afghanistan. Estonia is a very small nation, but the Estonians are doing a fantastic job in Afghanistan. We should not underestimate that. It does not help...

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: I shall come to that point in a moment. I want to deal first with drugs. The impression is being given that no progress has been made on drugs, but Governor Mangal has run an effective narcotics programme in Helmand, working with the coalition force in providing grain for local farmers. Overall, more than half of Afghanistan's provinces are now are poppy-free. We started with six in 2006;...

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: I must agree again with the Liberal Democrats. The hon. Member for North Devon asked what the challenge is. The challenge is clear in terms of 9/11 and 7 July. We cannot allow Afghanistan to become a failed state again, and to be a springboard for terrorism. I should not use this word, but it is a little naive to think that somehow the Taliban are not in any way connected to al-Qaeda, to...

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: My hon. Friend asks about Osama bin Laden. The fact of the matter is that we cannot leave a failed state and its entire infrastructure. The Taliban are not only persecuting the people of Afghanistan but exporting terrorism and ideology around the world. It would be nice if they were peace-loving people, but I do not believe that that they are. My hon. Friend spoke about reconciliation. That...

British Troops (Helmand Province) (8 Jul 2009)

Kevan Jones: Not true.