§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Ivor Caplin)I am pleased to announce the launch today of a new collaborative education programme called "Their Past Your Future" across the United Kingdom. I am grateful to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport for their enthusiastic support for this project, all the funding for which is being provided by the national lottery new opportunities fund. The programme will enable young people at school the opportunity to research and understand the 19WS role played by service veterans and civilian groups in ensuring our national security and survival. It will focus on the important Second World War commemorative events taking place in 2004–05, but is intended to develop into a long-term project recognising the importance of peace and reconciliation as well as conflict. A website will provide information about the programme and ways of linking up veterans and eye-witnesses with schools so that children can draw on those memories and experiences for their own understanding. There will be resources for schools to use in the citizenship and history curricula and this will also stretch out into other subject areas such as English and Geography. Opportunities for young people to participate in commemorations at home and abroad are also central to this programme. As part of this last element, there will be an initial research-based competition available with a prize of participation in the D-Day commemorations in June 2004.
This programme is a good example of collaboration on veterans-related issues across the official and voluntary sectors. It was developed as part of the veterans initiative but the Imperial War Museum will lead this project. Key partners include the Department for Education and Skills, the Confederation of British Service and Ex-Service Organisations, the Royal British Legion, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and Service Museums as well as the Ministry of Defence.
As I said before, I am particularly pleased that the national lottery new opportunities fund has undertaken to provide funding and that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport is also closely involved in the collaborative effort that is necessary for a project of this nature. This is an excellent example of lottery money being used for a good cause.
I hope that projects of this kind will help future generations to remember and understand the experiences and sacrifices of veterans of all types and their role in our nation's history. I also urge right hon. and hon. Members to make schools and colleges in their constituencies aware of this project.