Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential effect of armed forces enlistment before the age of 18 on the mental health of those service personnel.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The recent studies conducted by the King's Centre for Military Health Research and the University of Glasgow on the health outcomes of junior entrants to the UK Armed Forces have found there is little evidence that early recruitment is associated with an adverse impact on long-term mental health. Findings from these studies indicate that those who enter service as junior entrants have a lower risk of long-term mental health disorder than those recruited at older ages.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is committed to maintaining the mental health and wellbeing of all our Armed Forces personnel, regardless of age, and recognises that Service life can cause stress. All Armed Forces personnel are supported by dedicated and comprehensive medical services including mental health support. MOD is working with the single Services, Defence Medical Services, and other stakeholders to promote mental fitness and reduce associated stigma.
The MOD is clear that the duty of care of all our recruits, and in particular those aged under 18, is of the utmost importance and that those aged under 18 should be treated with special consideration. All Phase 1 and Phase 2 training organisations are subject to Ofsted inspection on a routine basis. Ofsted's last inspection of the Army Foundation College Harrogate in May 2018 awarded 'Outstanding' in all three assessment categories (outcomes for recruits and trainees; quality of welfare and duty of care; effectiveness of leadership and management).
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What steps his Department is taking to support the LGBT+ veterans community.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
All veterans have access to a range of support from Veterans UK, the NHS, and the charity sector. We acknowledge the importance of this support, recognising the needs of every individual and diversity within the veteran community. This is why we are providing funding and working with the charity sector to build the capacity of veterans' services to support LGBT veterans as well as other groups, such as female veterans.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether there are circumstances in which an armed forces pension would not be paid to a veteran in the event that they are residing outside the UK.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
There are no circumstances in which payment of an Armed Forces Pension to an entitled individual would be withheld due to that pension scheme member residing outside the UK.
If a member chooses to reside outside the UK, where possible, the paymaster will make arrangements for pensions to be paid directly into an overseas bank account. However, the member is liable for all bank charges and potential adverse currency conversion rates.
Where the paymaster does not have arrangements in place with banks in a particular country, the member is paid by pound sterling cheque and must make their own arrangements to deposit the funds.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what policies the Army Foundation College has to ensure that female armed forces recruits under the age of 18 in its care are safeguarded from sexually inappropriate imagery, language and contact.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Army takes the safeguarding of its people extremely seriously and recognises the need to treat under 18s appropriately. The Army Foundation College (Harrogate) was assessed as 'Outstanding' by Ofsted during the last inspection in October 2017 in all three categories (Outcomes for recruits and trainees, Quality of Welfare & Duty of Care, and the Effectiveness of Leadership & Management).
The Army also elects to impose a higher level of employment checks on the instructors of all Basic Training establishments, to provide additional safeguarding measures.
The Army constantly seeks to improve training and awareness so that all Service personnel know how to report concerns and access support if needed.
Throughout their careers, Service personnel receive a range of training specifically about the subject of consent; underpinned by the fact that they remain subject to civilian laws on sexually inappropriate imagery, language and contact, as protected by the Equality Act 2010.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the data recorded in the Joint Personnel Administration system, how many complaints have been made by female armed forces recruits under the age of 18 of (a) sexually inappropriate behaviour and (b) sexual assault since 2015.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence has made it absolutely clear there is no place for unacceptable behaviour in the Armed Forces. We recognise the great courage it takes to come forward and report a sexual offence and Commanding Officers must always refer any allegation of rape and sexual assault, or any other offence which may have a sexual element, to the Service Police. All allegations are thoroughly investigated, and support provided to victims. Anyone found to fall short of the Services' high standards or to have committed an offence is dealt with appropriately, which may include imprisonment and dismissal from service.
Individual complaints about 'sexually inappropriate behaviour' would mostly commonly be recorded as sexual harassment on the Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system. I can confirm that in the period since 1 January 2015, a search of information held on JPA shows that there have been no informal or formal Service Complaints alleging harassment, including sexual harassment, from female Service personnel aged under 18.
Information relating to the criminal offence of sexual assault is held on the Service Police's REDCAPS database rather than JPA. However, it will take time to conduct a manual search of the records held on REDCAPS to positively confirm the number of allegations made by female personnel aged under 18. I will write with that information in due course.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of hiring private investigators since 2003 to undertake surveillance of (a) service personnel and (b) veterans suspected of making false injury compensation claims.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
It is not possible to answer the hon. Member's question without incuring disproportionate costs. Whilst some information is held relating to the question posed, that information is not sufficient to provide a full response to this question as the Department does not hold this information centrally. However, the hon. Member may find it helpful to know that the cost of a day's surveillance ranges between £1,500 to £1,750
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what surveillance activities private investigators hired by his Department undertake to assess the validity of an injury claim made by (a) a member of the armed forces and (b) a veteran.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The hired private investigators observe the claimant in a variety of scenarios to establish whether the claimant is able to undertake activities that he or she has alleged they are unable to carry out, such as working, driving or walking for lengthy periods. A report containing the findings is then submitted to the claims handler or solicitor acting for the Ministry of Defence.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of employing private investigators to undertake surveillance activities to determine the validity of an injury claim made by (a) a member of the armed forces and (b) a veteran.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The MOD has effectively used surveillance undertaken by private investigators as evidence for a defence of dishonesty/fraud. I can confirm that the outcome of surveillance has also led to the MOD defending or repudiating a number of high value cases on the grounds of fundamental dishonesty or significantly reducing the amount awarded in damages as appropriate. There is no difference in the way that surveillance is used on serving or former personnel.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service personnel and (b) veterans have, as a result of the surveillance of private investigators, been accused of making a false injury claim against his Department for injuries sustained during service.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The number of current or former Service personnel that have been accused of making false injury claims against the MOD for injuries sustained during service is not held centrally as records are held internally or by our legal services providers. Therefore, it is not possible to answer the question without exceeding the disproportionate cost limit.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many (a) service personnel and (b) veterans making injury claims have been put under surveillance to observe the extent of their injuries since 2003.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Surveillance is not undertaken in regard to Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, which is a no-fault scheme which provides compensation for injury or death caused by service on or after 6 April 2005, the same applies to the War Pension Scheme which covers injury and death caused by service prior to that date. However, in the case of civil injury claims, since 2003 surveillance has been undertaken on claims brought by military and civilian personnel on 386 occasions.