Last week I spoke from the Despatch Box about Ivor Foster, one of the few remaining World War II pilots from RAF Bomber Command who is paying through the nose for his care.
Having lived to the ripe old age of 99 years and eight months, he is dishing out £5,000 a month to live in a local care home. Ivor is a South West Devon constituent; I met with him at his care home in Plymstock and continue to offer my full support as his MP.
Unfortunately, I have been passed around the Civil Service merry-go-round. I have gone to the Ministry of Defence, Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Work and Pensions to seek support for Ivor and am now on my fourth department, HM Revenue and Customs - it beggars belief! I hope that my intervention in Parliament will help grease the wheels of government and get Ivor a positive result before the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
Ahead of D-Day 80, I also placed on record my wholehearted support for veterans' affairs, and asked the Labour Veterans Minister what consideration has been given to how we will acknowledge and show our gratitude to the remaining 70,000 WWII veterans. These comments were made during a speech I gave during a debate on whether SAS hero, Paddy Mayne, should received a posthumous Victoria Cross.
