Following the chopped debate about education from the other week, Lord Astor of Hever (Shadow Minister of Defence) wants to press forward with a few ideas, He has a military background, and is almost impossibly polite and courteous.
He is keen that orphans of all servicemen who have fallen in battle should be well educated at public expense (should the surviving parent decide that it would be appropriate - boarding maybe) and regardless (because?) of family circumstances. At present the parent can approach service charities for help and although service charities are superb (as we know), the surviving parent shouldn't have to go down the route of being desperate and invariably, its too late by then anyway. The child/children have already started to suffer and family life has started to fragment through 'simply' being victims of tragic circumstance. The MoD has no scheme in place and the RBL isn't aware of anything.
Lord Astor wants to table a parliamentary question and under the mistaken impression that I know my arse from my elbow, has asked for a steer. I know that it will be turned into Lord-ese anyway, but there will be one shot at this and I'm terrified of f#cking it up. Does anyone have insight, or perhaps a suggestion how to word it so that I don't 'merely' get a response but so that it presses the right buttons at the right level (covenant issues are of course, big political news and making hay springs to mind). Examples of how Lord Astor works are in these links and I suppose I'd like to be able to provide him with 70-80 words. I am open to suggestions, and would appreciate any help with this and how to take the idea forward. Dealing with children's welfare makes it a sensitive matter so tub thumping is a bit of a no-no.
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/...&s=astor#g77.4
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/...&s=astor#g29.4
To summarise, as I see it and in terms of priority, these are the issues;
A) Good education for military orphans to rebalance their loss.
B) Studies into how being a military orphan dissadvantages a child.
Thanks.