Mr Browne opened his speech, published below,  by saying that the Government has a duty to ensure that the Armed Forces and their families are offered the support that they need and deserve.

Mr Browne said:

"In the last 18 months we have made real improvements to the welfare package that we offer our forces. I won't list them all in detail here �?but they include:

"The introduction of a tax-free operational bonus of £2,230; council tax discount for those on operations; free post; more free telephone calls and internet access; a new childcare voucher scheme that can be used both in the UK and overseas; improvements to mental health treatment; a military managed ward at Selly Oak and an increase in the number of military nurses there. This along with all the improvements made to ensuring that those serving in Iraq and Afghanistan have the best equipment and kit possible.

"Mr [Deputy] Speaker, Rt Hon and hon members will have seen reports in the media this morning about a small number of UK service personnel and civilians who received life saving emergency blood transfusions of US blood while deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Blood which might not have had a valid retrospective test.

Families have a key role

"First of all I should stress that the blood transfusions saved these people's lives. However, even though a small number of personnel, 18 in total, are affected �?and the risks of infection are very low - we are taking this matter extremely seriously. Immediately on learning about the risk to our people my department acted quickly and promptly to establish who might be involved, where those people were and ensured that they were offered the appropriate support, the appropriate counselling and testing.

"All eighteen UK Service personnel, whether still serving or a veteran, have now been contacted. And I would like to reassure members here that while our own procedures for blood transfusions on operations are robust, we are not complacent about them and review them regularly.

"Mr [Deputy] Speaker, We have achieved a lot, not just in the support we provide for our forces but also in the support we provide for their families. Families have a key role in supporting their loved ones. Without them the British Armed Forces would not be the success story they are.

"The frequency with which they are required to move location affects their access to health services, the education for their children, employment prospects for partners and, obviously, their personal relationships. We need to take stock of what we have already achieved and what more is needed.

"This is why the government has launched a cross-Government personnel strategy which is looking �?for the first time - at what more might be done across all departments to support past and present members of the Armed Forces and their families.

"This Personnel Command Paper will consider the progress already made, identify areas for improvement, and propose new initiatives for our own and other Government departments. Key areas that it will concentrate on include: accommodation, education, health, welfare and social care, inquests and veterans support which cuts across many of these areas and others.

"The Government would welcome constructive contributions to feed into this strategy. I can assure the House that all contributions by right hon and hon Members will be considered.
"We also want to see the nation as a whole understanding and appreciating our Armed Forces. That is why we are undertaking a National Recognition Study to identify exactly what more can be done. My Honourable Friend the Member for Grantham and Stamford is leading the study and I'm sure the whole House looks forward to his proposals. The end result will, I hope, be a nation that better demonstrates its appreciation of what our brave Service men and women do on our behalf. They deserve no less.

"Mr Deputy Speaker, I do not deny that, at present, members of the Armed Forces bear a heavy load. As I have said before, along with the Chiefs of Staff - they are stretched. We are asking a lot of our Service personnel .

"The operational tempo is high. But we have taken decisive action to address this. In the last 12 months we have reduced our commitments in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq. Between July and September this year 17 per cent of regular forces deployed on operations. That is a reduction of 5 per cent from the previous quarter. This spring �?conditions permitting and subject of course to the advice of commanders on the ground - we aim to improve on that and reduce numbers in Iraq further.

"All three Services are undergoing restructuring - to realign personnel numbers to be focused on where they are needed most. The retention incentives we have introduced are proving successful. Of those offered, for example 100 per cent of UAV operators and 88 per cent of infantrymen have accepted the incentive packages.

"Mr [Deputy] Speaker �?contrary to what honourable members may have been led to believe from recent media reports �?recruitment to the Armed Forces has increased . The most recent annual statistics show an increase in the number joining the Armed Forces. In 2006/2007 we gained 19,790 new recruits from civilian life �?99.6 per cent of the target. That's an increase of 9.3 percent. Army recruiting increased by 8 per cent during the last financial year, with infantry enlistments up 25 per cent.

A duty to recognise such commitment

"Obviously, when we have a high percentage of personnel deployed on operations harmony levels are affected. Harmony levels have improved over the last year by 3 per cent for the Army, remained steady for the Royal Navy, but have worsened for the RAF �?with 6.7% breaching harmony compared with 2.9% a year ago.

"I am grateful to all of our personnel for their efforts �?but particularly those whose harmony guidelines have not been met. We have a duty to recognise such commitment - living up to that duty underpins everything that I have set out here today.

"Mr Speaker, in recognition of the Government's commitment to the armed forces, we granted to the Armed Forces the best public sector pay deal to our Personnel last year: 3.3%. In particular, we addressed the concerns of the lowest ranks by increasing their pay by over 9%. In fact, in all but one of the last five years, Armed Forces salary growth has exceeded that of the whole economy.

"One of the key issues affecting both families and single people in the Forces is accommodation. To be frank, when our men and women in uniform return from theatre to their barracks, it is deplorable that some of them return to a very poor standard of accommodation

"Progress is being made. In the last financial year we delivered 5,822 modernised bed spaces. This financial year we expect to deliver approximately 7,000 modernised bed-spaces. In the next financial year we also plan to deliver 7,000 bed-spaces. Overall, it is expected that about 60,000 modernised bed spaces will be delivered by April 2013.