§ Mr. McNamaraTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has taken to involve the families of young service personnel in safeguarding their welfare. [132182]
§ Mr. IngramThe armed forces have a long standing tradition of including the families of all personnel in the overall welfare process which is an essential component in the maintenance of morale and operational effectiveness. A comprehensive audit of procedures within initial training establishments undertaken during 2002 nevertheless confirmed the need for units to sustain links with parents and for individuals to have regular access to external communications which is seen as significant in maintaining morale. Personnel staffs in each of the Services have identified best practices to be adopted. These include better access to mobile phones, the provision of internet cafes and plans to hard-wire internet infrastructure into barrack blocks, all with the aim of improving the ability of personnel of all ages to374W maintain contact with their families. The parents of personnel under the age of 18 are written to, with background details of the training unit and the regime involved. In addition, some units are encouraging 'parent days' at which parents and families are able to visit their sons and daughters and discuss issues with appropriate staffs and unit personnel.