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Bevin Boys

I have seized the moment, Dennis—I am not allowed to say that, am I, Madam Deputy Speaker? Anyway, all five of us Members present will have a good day out at the Durham miners’ gala next year. I also share the desire of my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham that we celebrate and commemorate the Bevin Boys’ contribution. The association has a powerful platform, with two national events this year alone—in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Isle of Wight—and a dozen other reunions and parades throughout the country. I asked Mr. Taylor how he would sum up the Bevin Boys in a single word and he replied, ““camaraderie””. These remarkable individuals were thrown together 60 years ago and have remained linked by a common bond ever since. I can assure my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham that, as Minister with responsibility for veterans, I will take these issues into account when looking at what might be done to promote wider recognition of the Bevin Boys. I will have to do so in consultation with ministerial colleagues who have an interest in these issues, but I can say to my hon. Friends present that they have made a very compelling case for the creation of a specific badge for the Bevin Boys—a case that warrants more detailed examination. I pledge tonight to give it that, perhaps over the summer break, and to get back to them when we return later in the year. As my hon. Friend the Member for North Durham will know, I am of an age that means that I used to write letters to Jimmy Savile, but he never wrote back to me. So although Jim never fixed it for me, perhaps, between us, we can fix it for Jim. If we do manage to create a Bevin Boys badge, perhaps we can invite him to the House of Commons and present it to him personally. I am sure that my hon. Friend the Member for Bolsover would like to be at that event to share his personal views—[Interruption.] What a lively evening we will have together, if Jimmy is indeed a Conservative voter. For many years the Bevin Boys regarded themselves as ““the forgotten conscripts””. I hope that we can all play our part in putting the record straight. Question put and agreed to.