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 plans he has for mobilisation of retired Armed Forces personnel to assist with the response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by James Heappey
Where retired Armed Forces personnel are members of the ex-Regular Reserve, they have a legal liability for service if so required. Whilst the option to call on them for support exists and may be used to support the UK Government's response to the outbreak, there are currently no plans for any large-scale deployments of ex-Regular Reservists.
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 retired Armed Forces personnel can volunteer to assist with the Government's response to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by James Heappey
Where retired Armed Forces personnel are members of the ex-Regular Reserve, they have a legal liability for service if so required. Such personnel may volunteer to assist with the response to the outbreak, in the same way that they may volunteer to assist with any other military activity; however, there are currently no plans for any large-scale deployments of ex-Regular Reservists.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, for what reason veterans who were present at British nuclear testing have experienced a 12-month delay before receiving a decision from Veterans UK on their War Disablement Pension applications.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Decisions on war pension claims are evidence based. In line with all claims made under the War Pension Scheme, claims relating to service during British nuclear testing are considered on their individual merits and specific facts. Decisions are made in accordance with legislation, namely the Naval, Military and Air Forces etc. (Disablement and Death) Service Pensions Order, revised April 2006 and are made based on the medical and service evidence available at the time, for this reason the length of time taken to consider individual claims may vary.
As of the end of February 2020, the Department's rolling 12 month Average Clearance time for War Pension Scheme claims was at a figure of 137.60 working days.
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 Answer of 23 May 2019 to Question 256301, for what reasons F Med 12 and F Med 29 forms were not included in the medical records of some veterans present at the UK's nuclear testing programme.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
To identify any such reasons would necessitate a review of individual veterans' Service medical records. This could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.
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 medical conditions of descendants of veterans who were present at the British nuclear testing programme.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
There is no published peer-reviewed evidence of excess illness or mortality among nuclear test veterans as a group that could be linked to their participation in the tests or to exposure to radiation because of that participation. The Ministry of Defence has also seen no evidence of excessive ill-health or mortality among the descendants of nuclear test veterans.
Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill-health due to service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme. War Pensions are payable in respect of illness or injury as a result of service in the Armed Forces before 6 April 2005, with the benefit of reasonable doubt always given to the claimant. Decisions are medically certified and follow consideration of available service and medical evidence and carry full rights of appeal to an independent tribunal.
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to provide compensation to the descendants of nuclear test 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, for which medical disorders veterans who were present at British nuclear tests can claim a war disablement pension.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
All ex-service personnel, including Nuclear Test Veterans, can claim a War Pension in respect of their service before 6 April 2005.
Nuclear Test Veterans can claim for any condition which they consider may have been caused, or made worse, by their service. Each claim is considered on its own merits.
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 he plans to provide compensation for (a) veterans who were present at British nuclear tests and (b) their descendants.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
There is no published peer-reviewed evidence of excess illness or mortality among nuclear test veterans as a group that could be linked to their participation in the tests or to exposure to radiation because of that participation. The Ministry of Defence has also seen no evidence of excessive ill-health or mortality among the descendants of nuclear test veterans.
Nuclear test veterans who believe they have suffered ill-health due to service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme. War Pensions are payable in respect of illness or injury as a result of service in the Armed Forces before 6 April 2005, with the benefit of reasonable doubt always given to the claimant. Decisions are medically certified and follow consideration of available service and medical evidence and carry full rights of appeal to an independent tribunal.
The Ministry of Defence has no plans to provide compensation to the descendants of nuclear test 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, what plans are in place to uphold the no-fly zone and de-escalation zone in the province of Idlib, Syria.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The UK was not a party to the agreement to establish de-escalation zones in Syria made by Russia, Turkey and Iran in 2017. We are gravely concerned by the ongoing military action by Russia and the Syrian regime in Idlib, including strikes which have hit civilian infrastructure. All parties should respect the de-escalation zone and agreed ceasefire, abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law and act to protect civilians.
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 targets have been set for the operation and activity of the Veterans' Gateway.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Veterans' Gateway puts veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to provide the information, advice and support that they need. The Gateway was awarded a Covenant Fund grant of almost £2 million for set-up and initial operating costs, to be paid in instalments over a two year period. To date, payments totalling £1 million have been made. In addition, £100,000 was awarded and paid to support the costs associated with an independent evaluation.
Governance and value for money were key criteria used in the assessment process which led to the awarding of the £2 million grant. The payments of the grant instalments are, therefore, linked to the achievement of milestones, which include quarterly monitoring reports, evaluations of marketing activity, annual reviews and the completion of an independent evaluation. An independent evaluation of the Veterans' Gateway has been commissioned and will be delivered by the University of Ulster.
In addition, a Veterans Reference Group to be chaired by a veteran who has lived experience of being 'wounded, injured or sick' will ensure that the Veterans' Gateway continues to focus on the needs of the veterans' community in an uncomplicated and informative way.
A total of 608 calls to the Veterans' Gateway contact centre (staffed mainly by veterans) were referred to 20 partner charities in the period from its launch to 14 November 2017. Many veterans who contact the Gateway have their query resolved through an initial contact and do not seek a further referral. Other veterans are able to find the right organisation for their needs via self-service guides provided on the website. In addition to the calls referred to partner charities, there have been 133,000 website sessions; 1,550 Phone calls; 967 emailed questions and 651 live chats through the website.
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 plans he has to monitor and review the (a) effectiveness and (b) value for money of the Veteran's Gateway.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
The Veterans' Gateway puts veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to provide the information, advice and support that they need. The Gateway was awarded a Covenant Fund grant of almost £2 million for set-up and initial operating costs, to be paid in instalments over a two year period. To date, payments totalling £1 million have been made. In addition, £100,000 was awarded and paid to support the costs associated with an independent evaluation.
Governance and value for money were key criteria used in the assessment process which led to the awarding of the £2 million grant. The payments of the grant instalments are, therefore, linked to the achievement of milestones, which include quarterly monitoring reports, evaluations of marketing activity, annual reviews and the completion of an independent evaluation. An independent evaluation of the Veterans' Gateway has been commissioned and will be delivered by the University of Ulster.
In addition, a Veterans Reference Group to be chaired by a veteran who has lived experience of being 'wounded, injured or sick' will ensure that the Veterans' Gateway continues to focus on the needs of the veterans' community in an uncomplicated and informative way.
A total of 608 calls to the Veterans' Gateway contact centre (staffed mainly by veterans) were referred to 20 partner charities in the period from its launch to 14 November 2017. Many veterans who contact the Gateway have their query resolved through an initial contact and do not seek a further referral. Other veterans are able to find the right organisation for their needs via self-service guides provided on the website. In addition to the calls referred to partner charities, there have been 133,000 website sessions; 1,550 Phone calls; 967 emailed questions and 651 live chats through the website.