I quite understand the concern that has been expressed by the petitioners. In general, one of the great strengths of the petitions process is that it provides an opportunity for members of the public who are concerned about certain issues to have them aired in an organised parliamentary fashion so that we can reflect on them. I have nothing but respect for the motivations of all the petitioners who come forward with a point of view. They are citizens of our country, and they are entitled to be heard properly and with respect.
In this case, I have tried to reassure the petitioners by considering the issue within the context of our general approach to careers guidance. Our general approach to careers guidance is to make sure that, when young people engage with careers advice, they get dispassionate advice and they hear about all the ups and the downs of a particular career so that they can make their own judgment about it. If I found that that was not the case, I would be deeply troubled. That is true in relation to any career, not just a career in the armed forces. Young people need to be properly advised about the ups and downs of every career that they might decide to pursue.
That is my first and main point of reassurance; I hope that it helps. In all circumstances, regardless of what career a young person is contemplating, they are entitled to a dispassionate assessment of its ups and downs.
My second point concerns work that is in progress. The thinking behind the Government’s agenda on education, which is widely supported in Parliament, in our local authorities and in the country, relates to the attainment challenge. At the heart of the attainment challenge lies making sure that every young person in our country can fulfil their potential regardless of their background—in other words, we must ensure that poverty is not an inhibitor to young people fulfilling their potential. I stress that I accept that that is work in progress, but we are striving to address the matter. I hope that that partly addresses the concern that, somehow, there is a predisposition for young people from deprived backgrounds to end up in the armed forces because it is the only option available to them, if I can put it as crudely as that.
I return to Mr Mountain’s point about what the Army and the military are looking for. Increasingly, the armed forces are recruiting on the basis of the skills that they require rather than on the basis of the volume of applicants. It is not just a case of being a numbers game; it is about having a range of people who can do certain things. That changes some of the dynamics of the discussion.
Out of all that, there is an obligation on us as ministers to make sure that we are presiding over an education system that is able to fulfil the potential of young people and to equip them with the educational capability and the skills that will enable them to fulfil their potential.
10:30