There are some 13,000 Gurkhas who receive no pension following their service with the British army of whom 26 live in Thurrock. As chairman I launched this inquiry on behalf of the All Party group last November. We are currently collecting evidence before holding evidence sessions in the House of Commons in March with a view to publishing a report in the summer. In the meantime Gurkha communities all over the country are meeting with their Members of Parliament to make representations to feed into the inquiry. I have been promised full co-operation from the Government with this inquiry and both the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister are taking a strong interest. It is my intention to provide a forum for the grievances to be properly aired and addressed by the Ministry of Defence. The industry of Defence has always maintained that they have honoured the terms and conditions that Gurkha soldiers signed up to. Whilst that is true, that does not mean that they have always been treated fairly. The British values of fair play and justice demand that we take a good look at these issues and satisfy ourselves that we have done right by these people who have fought for our country.
Posted on: Thu, 06 Feb 2014 13:18:35 +0000