Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Helen Grant and Lord Robathan

Monday 16th July 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mr Robathan]

No, we are certainly not downgrading it. Indeed, I went there only about a month ago to talk about it to those involved, and they think that it is the right way forward.

Secondly, Professor Simon Wessely at the King’s Centre for Military Health Research is carrying out an in-depth study into the mental health problems that people encounter, particularly focusing on reservists.

[Mrs Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald) (Con)]

What advice is available to armed forces families on the after-effects of operational deployment?

[Mr Robathan]

Not all people suffer after-effects. I believe that my hon. Friend’s son has served or is serving in Afghanistan: is that correct?

[Mrs Grant]

No. Not yet.

[Mr Robathan]

He is. Not all people who return from Afghanistan have mental health after-effects, but it is obviously a concern that some people do. Within units in particular, there are various options, including the programme I have mentioned, TRiM, and a programme called the Big White Wall. It is an online programme and people can put their feelings anonymously on a big white wall. There is a huge amount of support, but it is not always easy to access. We want to make it easier for families and others to access that mental health provision—

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Helen Grant and Lord Robathan

Monday 26th March 2012 Commons Chamber

[Mrs Helen Grant (Maidstone and The Weald) (Con)]

3. How much he plans to invest in improving the welfare of families of service personnel in the next year.

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr Andrew Robathan)]

All the services have long-standing welfare structures in place to support families. We continually review that support to identify where it can be further improved, and my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a number of measures last Wednesday to support service families. They included £3 million made available to double, again, to 100% the council tax rebate for deployed service personnel; £2 million allocated to double the rate of the families welfare grant, which is available to commanding officers to use as they see fit on activities for the families of those deployed; and an additional investment of £100 million in 2013-14 to improve service accommodation.

[Mrs Grant]

What action is being taken to assess the effects of mobility on service children?

[Mr Robathan]

My hon. Friend raises a very good point, and I should say that in general, service children have a rather better than average attainment record in schools. We have several schemes, one of which is the continuity of education allowance, which allows children to remain in one school while their parents move around the world or the country. Another is the pupil premium that we have introduced, run by the Department for Education, under which each child carries a passport of money for their school. Schools very much welcome that.