This is a damp squib from a Tory Party who have no solutions to the problems they have created in the justice system – Burgon

Richard
Burgon MP, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, responding to the Government’s
Prison and Courts Bill, said:

“While
there are some welcome proposals, overall this is a damp squib from a Tory
Party who have no solutions to the problems they have created in the justice
system

“We
were promised the ‘biggest overhaul of prisons in a generation’ but there is no
plan to deal with understaffing and overcrowding – the two biggest challenges
facing the prison system.

“A
duty on prisons to reform is of course welcome. But without a plan to back it
up, this is simply a symbolic gesture.

“Labour
is open to Governors having greater autonomy, but this must not become a way
for Ministers to simply shift responsibility for their policy failures
elsewhere.

“And
the Chief Inspector of Prisons has already queried whether league tables could
be meaningful.

“Preventing
cross examination of victims of domestic violence by the perpetrator is
welcome. However, the Tories’ reckless cuts to legal aid have greatly
contributed to this unacceptable situation.”



The Tories’ immigration policy is a complete mess – Abbott

Diane Abbott MP, Labour’s Shadow Home
Secretary, responding to the release of the
latest migration statistics, said:

“The Tories’ immigration policy is a
complete mess. Despite their claims, they are still nowhere near to achieving
their unworkable target.

“The Tories blame the EU for this,
but EU and non-EU long-term migration are the same, and each of them is way
over 100,000 by themselves. The ONS are clear there was no statistically
significant fall in net migration numbers. 

“The only significant drop was in
international students, who enrich our education system and the wider economy
and whose decline will make us all worse off.”



These findings from the BMA are a stark wakeup – Blomfield

Paul
Blomfield MP, Shadow Brexit Minister, responding to a BMA report that reveals
more than four in ten European doctors are considering leaving the UK following
Brexit, said:

“Labour
has been warning the Government for months now that its failure to guarantee the
status of Europeans living and working here is not in the national interest.

“These
findings from the BMA are a stark wakeup call about the consequences of this
uncertainty for a health service already at breaking point.

“The
Government must act urgently and guarantee the status of Europeans – for our
health service, for our economy and to create goodwill amongst our future
negotiating partners.

“It’s
failure to do so is an act of self-harm.”



The Road Investment Strategy is beginning to look like a wish-list rather than a deliverable plan – Andy McDonald

Andy
McDonald MP, Labour’s Shadow Transport Secretary, responding to
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s refusal to commit to delivering schemes in
the Government’s Road Investment Strategy at today’s Transport Questions, said:

“The
Office of Rail and Road report into Highways England showed the Government’s
Road Investment Strategy to be in chaos. The agency are over budget, behind
schedule and serious doubts have been cast on whether promised investment will
be delivered on time, if at all.

“The
Road Investment Strategy is beginning to look like a wish-list rather than a
deliverable plan to improve England’s road network. The government must
reassure the public that promised works won’t be cancelled or delayed, and they
should explain how they will guarantee road users’ safety following their
failure to manage investment in England’s roads.”



News story: MOD to attend Who Do You Think You Are live 2017

Experts from DBS within the MOD are to attend the Who Do You Think You Are live event at the NEC, Birmingham, between the 6 and 8 April. The show, a spin off from the popular BBC1 TV series, “Who Do You Think You Are?”, attracts over 12,000 visitors during the 3 days as it focuses on genealogy. The stand, supported by TNT UK Ltd, will be staffed by a DBS team from the Medals and Records Offices and will offer.

Displays of medals and service records

Medals and records advice, including identification of medals, entitlements, applying for medals and how to find out more, what records the MOD holds and how to access them.

Live post 1921 service record search facility.

The MOD continues to hold all service records where the individual had a discharge date of post 1921, these total around 10 million records, with about 500,000 having seen service in World War 1. Using a sophisticated database that supports the MOD’s main archive, an assisted search facility will in many cases enable confirmation of whether or not the MOD holds a record for an individual. This information can then be used to apply for the record using the forms on gov.uk. To assist the search some or all of the following information is required: surname, initials, date of birth and service number.

Interpretation of service records

If you already have a service record, but are unsure what it says or how to interpret it, then DBS experts will be on hand to assist you.

  • John Reynolds from the MOD’s record office; a keen army historian and serving reserves officer, John has conducted battlefield tours across the world
  • Stuart Hadaway from the air historical branch; Stuart has previously worked at the RAF Museum, Hendon, and is the author of military books, including “Missing believed killed: casualty policy and the missing research and enquiry service 1939 – 1952”
  • Sue Pass and Clive Clarke from TNT’s navy search service; Sue and Clive have a combined 17 years of experience working in the TNT’s navy search service, responding to more than 6000 enquiries a year

Issue of veterans badges

If you are ex-forces and haven’t yet got a veterans badge, then you can ask for one on the stand. Following confirmation of a service record identification and a check of the veterans badge database, the veterans badge will be issued. The following information will be required, surname, initials, date of birth and service number.

The DBS team look forward to seeing you!