During the month of March I have been invited to attend one of the citizenship ceremonies for people who are taking the Oath of Allegiance after becoming British citizens.

This ceremony is taking place in Beaconsfield, in my constituency. Ceremonies also take place elsewhere in Buckinghamshire, as people are encouraged to attend close to their home – although there is the choice of where they can attend.

Each ceremony is the culmination of the application process for those who are 18 or over and the aim is to welcome new citizens into the local community.

Children aged under 18 do not have to make the oath themselves but as part of a family group they are invited to attend.

Our local Registrars carry out the ceremonies which are the formal recognition of all that the individuals have undertaken as part of the process of becoming a British citizen. It is a time when they express their allegiance to our Queen.

They also make a promise of loyalty to our country. The pledge says: “I will give my loyalty to the United Kingdom and respect its rights and freedoms. I will uphold its democratic values. I will observe its laws faithfully and fulfil my duties and obligations as a British citizen.”

Guests attend these ceremonies which are usually for a group of people taking the oath. I am pleased to have the chance to see this at first hand and be there for what is an important rite of passage for those involved.

It is also one for which the individuals have studied and made formal preparations before becoming a citizen of the UK and pledging allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.

One of the purposes of the ceremony is to encourage the new citizens to engage actively as members of the local community and to press home the understanding of how vital this is for everybody.

It is one of the great strengths of our country that citizenship depends upon allegiance to the Queen and not on cultural identity which is a legacy of the Act of Union that created our nation. The citizenship ceremony is yet another expression of this tradition.