Legion Director General meets with Ed Miliband
15 October 2010
The Director General of
The Royal British Legion has met with the Leader of HM Opposition
to thank Ed Miliband for pledging to do his bit as part of the
Legion's 'Time to do your bit' campaign and to discuss issues
affecting the whole Armed Forces family.
The Director General also raised the Legion's grave concerns about the adverse impact on bereaved Service families that it fears the Government's decision to abolish the Chief Coroner's Office and the role of the Chief Coroner will have. The Legion believes this is a betrayal of bereaved Service families and threatens the Military Covenant.
"I was very grateful for the chance to meet with Ed Miliband and to thank him personally for pledging to do his bit as part of our ongoing 'Time to do your bit' campaign. Sixty-eight per cent of MPs in the new House of Commons have now pledged, and it's fantastic that all three of the main party leaders are among them. It's entirely up to MPs how they do their bit, but we hope very much that the Coalition Government will take note of the sheer volume of pledges," said Chris Simpkins, Director General of The Royal British Legion.
A key part of the Legion's 'Time to do your bit' campaign is its general election manifesto. This has now become a programme for action, which the charity wants the Government to implement during the lifetime of this Parliament.
Chris Simpkins said: "I told Ed Miliband that supporting bereaved Armed Forces families was a core focus of what we do through our new Independent Inquest Advice service. The families go through so much, and they deserve the best possible support. That's why we believe the decision to abolish the Chief Coroner's Office would be a deep betrayal. It may be that Ministers have not appreciated the ramifications of such a decision on bereaved Armed Forces families. That's why we're writing to the Prime Minister about this. We anxiously await a response that will satisfy us that the interests of Service families will be represented.
"The Legion is calling on the Prime Minister to intervene before charities meet with the Justice Minister on 25 October. The Legion campaigned long and hard as part of its campaign to honour the Military Covenant for reforms to the inquest process to guarantee bereaved Service families a modern, thorough and transparent investigation. The Chief Coroner's Office and role are absolutely central to this."
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
Caption information: Ed Miliband, Leader of HM Opposition, with Chris Simpkins, Director General of the Royal British Legion, with a 'Time to do your bit' giant pledge card.
The Royal British Legion is the nation's leading Armed Forces charity providing care and support to all members of the British Armed Forces past and present and their families. It is also the national Custodian of Remembrance and safeguards the Military Covenant between the nation and its Armed Forces. It is best known for the annual Poppy Appeal and its emblem, the red poppy. www.britishlegion.org.uk.
The Legion believes the establishment of a Chief Coroner's Office was critical to improving the working of the inquest system in relation to military inquests and now fears other reforms to the inquest system are under threat, as the Chief Coroner's role was central to them. These included oversight and monitoring of investigations into Service deaths; compulsory training for coroners carrying out military inquests; and new rights of appeal for families throughout the inquest process. It is also unclear what functions are to be transferred to the Lord Chancellor or Lord Chief Justice, and what functions are to be abolished.
The Legion believes the Chief Coroner's Office meets the three tests outlined by Francis Maude, Cabinet Office Minister, to preserve a quango from abolition: does it perform a technical function; do its activities require political impartiality; and does it need to act independently to establish facts?
The Legion's manifesto can be found at www.timetodoyourbit.org.uk.
For further information please contact:
Susan Cottam, Public Relations Officer, The Royal British
Legion
T: 020 3207 2477 M: 07775 017 889 E: scottam@britishlegion.org.uk
