Part of the debate – in the House of Commons at 5:39 pm on 25 April 2022.
Owen Thompson
SNP Chief Whip
5:39,
25 April 2022
On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. On
“That this House
believes that the current process for claiming War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation payments is not fit for purpose and urges the Government to launch an independent inquiry into the system’s failings.”
Following the debate, I submitted a parliamentary question to the Minister last week to seek clarity on what steps the Government are taking to establish the agreed inquiry. This morning, I received a written answer from the Minister for Defence People and Veterans that stated:
“There are no plans for an inquiry into the process for War Pensions or Armed Forces Compensation payments.”
The answer goes on to claim that the process
“remains effective, fit for purpose, and functioning satisfactorily.”
If what we heard in the debate is anything to go by, however, the Government’s definition of satisfactory is far removed from mine.
Paragraph 20.96 of “Erskine May” tells us that,
“Every question, if agreed to, becomes either an order or a resolution of the House, and is recorded as such in the Journal of the House.”
On that basis, may I seek clarity that the outcome of the debate on
The Deputy speaker is in charge of proceedings of the House of Commons in the absence of the Speaker.
The deputy speaker's formal title is Chairman of Ways and Means, one of whose functions is to preside over the House of Commons when it is in a Committee of the Whole House.
The deputy speaker also presides over the Budget.
Ministers make up the Government and almost all are members of the House of Lords or the House of Commons. There are three main types of Minister. Departmental Ministers are in charge of Government Departments. The Government is divided into different Departments which have responsibilities for different areas. For example the Treasury is in charge of Government spending. Departmental Ministers in the Cabinet are generally called 'Secretary of State' but some have special titles such as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Ministers of State and Junior Ministers assist the ministers in charge of the department. They normally have responsibility for a particular area within the department and are sometimes given a title that reflects this - for example Minister of Transport.
