Oral question asked in the House of Commons, by Graham Allen (Labour). It was answered on Monday, 17 October 2005 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Education Projects (Nottingham, North)

Question: Does my hon. Friend agree that people who have given a lifetime of service in the armed forces as trained and highly qualified instructors might be forgiven for wanting to put their feet up and retire gracefully? However, a large number of former instructors in the armed forces work very hard in the public service under the auspices of Skill Force. Will my hon. Friend take this opportunity to commend on behalf of everyone in the House the work that is being done in my constituency, where high calibre results are being achieved? Will he also ensure that we put on record our thanks to those people who are laying the foundations for two very successful academies in my constituency? Those people could have retired gracefully but are still making the effort to put something back into their community.

Answer: Like many other right hon. and hon. Members, I attended the event organised by Skill Force in the Palace of Westminster in July. I am well aware of the admirable work done by the Skill Force team in Nottingham as well as by the other 22 teams around the country. I pay tribute to the enduring commitment of the men who have served in our forces and—at a time when they might, as my hon. Friend says, put their feet up—are still willing to give up their time to improve the educational opportunities of young people. Skill Force is a wonderful example to all of us of what can be done by using the skills of those who have retired but are still able to make an important contribution. I commend them greatly for all that they do.

Secondary information

Type: Oral question
Reference: 437 c625
Session: 2005-06
Oral question type: 1st Supplementary
Chamber / Committee: House of Commons chamber
Subjects: Children Discipline Disadvantaged Armed forces Pupil exclusions Nottingham Schools Training Truancy SkillForce Ministry of Defence
Link: View this Oral question on www.publications.parliament.uk