John Healey Portrait

John Healey

Labour - Wentworth and Dearne

First elected: 1st May 1997

Shadow Secretary of State for Defence

(since April 2020)

1 APPG membership (as of 24 Jan 2024)
Transatlantic Trade
Shadow Secretary of State for Housing
9th Jan 2018 - 6th Apr 2020
Shadow Secretary of State for Housing
7th Oct 2016 - 9th Jan 2018
Shadow Minister (Communities and Local Government) (Housing and Planning)
14th Sep 2015 - 27th Jun 2016
Shadow Secretary of State for Health
8th Oct 2010 - 7th Oct 2011
Shadow Minister (Housing)
12th May 2010 - 8th Oct 2010
Minister of State (Department for Communities and Local Government) (Housing)
5th Jun 2009 - 6th May 2010
Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission
2nd Nov 2007 - 12th Oct 2009
Minister of State (Department of Communities and Local Government) (Local Government)
29th Jun 2007 - 5th Jun 2009
Tax Law Rewrite Bills (Joint Committee)
20th Dec 2004 - 12th Jan 2009
Public Accounts Committee
20th Jul 2005 - 19th Nov 2007
Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
10th May 2005 - 28th Jun 2007
Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
30th May 2002 - 10th May 2005
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education and Skills)
11th Jun 2001 - 30th May 2002
Employment Sub-committee
23rd Jul 1997 - 29th Nov 1999
Education & Employment
14th Jul 1997 - 29th Nov 1999


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, John Healey has voted in 627 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All John Healey Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Ben Wallace (Conservative)
(92 debate interactions)
Lindsay Hoyle (Speaker)
(35 debate interactions)
James Heappey (Conservative)
Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
(26 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
Department Debates
Ministry of Defence
(198 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(26 debate contributions)
View All Department Debates
View all John Healey's debates

Wentworth and Dearne Petitions

e-Petitions are administered by Parliament and allow members of the public to express support for a particular issue.

If an e-petition reaches 10,000 signatures the Government will issue a written response.

If an e-petition reaches 100,000 signatures the petition becomes eligible for a Parliamentary debate (usually Monday 4.30pm in Westminster Hall).

John Healey has not participated in any petition debates

Latest EDMs signed by John Healey

17th July 2017
John Healey signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 17th July 2017

SOCIAL SECURITY

Tabled by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Loans for Mortgage Interest Regulations 2017 (S.1., 2017, No. 725), dated 5 July 2017, a copy of which was laid before this House on 6 July, be annulled.
50 signatures
(Most recent: 15 Mar 2018)
Signatures by party:
Labour: 43
Independent: 4
Scottish National Party: 2
Green Party: 1
6th March 2017
John Healey signed this EDM as a sponsor on Monday 6th March 2017

SOCIAL SECURITY

Tabled by: Jeremy Corbyn (Independent - Islington North)
That an humble Address be presented to Her Majesty, praying that the Universal Credit (Housing Costs Element for claimants aged 18 to 21) (Amendment) Regulations 2017 (S.I., 2017, No. 252), dated 2 March 2017, a copy of which was laid before this House on 3 March, be annulled.
86 signatures
(Most recent: 20 Apr 2017)
Signatures by party:
Scottish National Party: 53
Labour: 26
Independent: 5
Social Democratic & Labour Party: 2
Liberal Democrat: 1
Green Party: 1
View All John Healey's signed Early Day Motions

Commons initiatives

These initiatives were driven by John Healey, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.

MPs who are act as Ministers or Shadow Ministers are generally restricted from performing Commons initiatives other than Urgent Questions.


10 Urgent Questions tabled by John Healey

Monday 11th March 2024
Tuesday 19th December 2023
Tuesday 5th December 2023
Tuesday 28th November 2023
Tuesday 24th October 2023
Thursday 27th April 2023
Wednesday 11th May 2022
Tuesday 21st September 2021
Tuesday 10th November 2020

John Healey has not been granted any Adjournment Debates

2 Bills introduced by John Healey


A Bill to establish a national mandatory licensing scheme for letting and managing agents, with established standards and redress for landlords, tenants and leaseholders, and prohibition of letting and management agent fees; to enable local authorities to administer and enforce the scheme; to require that tenants, landlords and leaseholders have written agreements; and to empower local authorities, either alone or in partnership, to trade as letting and managing agents.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 2nd July 2013

The Bill failed to complete its passage through Parliament before the end of the session. This means the Bill will make no further progress. A Bill to make provision to introduce leave, pay and allowance arrangements for parents of children born to surrogate mothers equal to those available to parents whose children are born to them; and for connected purposes.

Commons - 20%

Last Event - 1st Reading: House Of Commons
Tuesday 17th April 2012

Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
5th Jul 2022
To ask the Attorney General, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2022 to Question 26698 and with reference to the Answer given by the Secretary of State for Defence on 27 June 2022 to Question 23221, if she will set out how many meetings of the National Security Council she has attended since April 2022.

The National Security Council is a committee of the Cabinet. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Attorney General, how many meetings of the National Security Council she has attended since April 2022.

The National Security Council is a committee of the Cabinet. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

Alex Chalk
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
11th Jan 2024
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the cost of photography services to his Department provided by external contractors was in each year since 2010.

Non-campaign photography tasks are undertaken by internal staff as part of their routine work and everyday roles and do not get billed separately. This service comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

The Cabinet Office does pay external organisations to provide photography and videography for our various cross-government communication campaigns. However isolated spend data on these specific services is not split out from wider campaign costs.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
13th Dec 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his planned timeline for when all eligible personnel under the (a) Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme will be relocated from Pakistan to the UK.

The UK has made an ambitious and generous commitment to help at-risk people in Afghanistan and, so far, we have brought around 24,600 people to safety, including over 21,600, people eligible for the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) and the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) schemes, as of September 2023. The Government is committed to relocating all eligible persons who remain in Pakistan and third countries as soon as possible.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
29th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department spent on photography at Ministerial (a) events, (b) visits, and (c) meetings in each month since October 2022.

These tasks are undertaken by internal staff as part of their routine work and everyday roles. They do not get billed separately. This service comes at no extra cost to the taxpayer.

Alex Burghart
Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
28th Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2023 to Question 3092 on Veterans: Finance, whether the £10m funding for the Veterans’ Places, Pathways, and People Programme is drawn from his Department’s pre-existing budget.

The £10 million of funding for the Veterans’ Places, Pathways, and People Programme is additional money and is not from the Department’s pre-existing budget. This funding will be used to increase support to a significant community of vulnerable veterans throughout the UK, and will be spent over three financial years.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
22nd Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 5.6 of the Autumn Statement 2023, CP977, whether the £10 million commitment to support veterans is new funding.

The £10 million commitment to support veterans is new funding for the Veterans’ Places, Pathways and People Programme, which will increase support to a significant community of vulnerable veterans throughout the UK. The funding will be spent over three financial years 2024-2025, 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much his Department has spent on veterans homelessness support in each month of 2023.

To date, the Government has committed nearly £30m towards ending veteran homelessness, including:

  • £20m capital housing fund over three years to provide extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and the refurbishment of social and charitable housing.

  • £500k to fund Op FORTITUDE, a dedicated referral scheme to provide a single central point for local authorities, charities and housing providers to support homeless and rough sleeping veterans, in addition to over £7.2m to fund specialist help for veterans in more than 900 veteran supported housing units.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made towards ending veteran homelessness.

To date, the Government has committed nearly £30m towards ending veteran homelessness, including:

  • £20m capital housing fund over three years to provide extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and the refurbishment of social and charitable housing.

  • £500k to fund Op FORTITUDE, a dedicated referral scheme to provide a single central point for local authorities, charities and housing providers to support homeless and rough sleeping veterans, in addition to over £7.2m to fund specialist help for veterans in more than 900 veteran supported housing units.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
21st Nov 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many and what proportion of homeless veterans have secured accommodation through the Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme in each region.

To date, the Government has committed nearly £30m towards ending veteran homelessness, including:

  • £20m capital housing fund over three years to provide extra housing for veterans through the development of new builds and the refurbishment of social and charitable housing.

  • £500k to fund Op FORTITUDE, a dedicated referral scheme to provide a single central point for local authorities, charities and housing providers to support homeless and rough sleeping veterans, in addition to over £7.2m to fund specialist help for veterans in more than 900 veteran supported housing units.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
11th May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May to question 182778 on Refugees: Afghanistan, on what dates the Minister for Veterans' Affairs met other ministers on Afghan resettlement since 2 February 2023.

It has been the standard practice of successive Administrations not to publish granular information relating to ministerial meetings. I remain committed to engaging with colleagues across government to support Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
11th May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183317 on Capita: Cybercrime, what his Department's (a) policies on and (b) processes for informing (i) public sector employees and (ii) other individuals affected by a breach of Government data are.

The Cabinet Office takes personal data breaches very seriously. As part of standard procedure, the Cabinet Office advises that all Cabinet Office employees must immediately report breaches to the Security Team and Data Protection Officer. Any breach that meets the legal tests set out in UK GDPR will be reported to the Information Commissioner or data subjects within the statutory deadlines.

It is our policy that data subjects will usually be notified of any incident pertaining to their personal data. Agreements with delivery partner(s) and 3rd party suppliers must stipulate the arrangements and obligations for ensuring that there is an established, effective and timely process to identify and report any actual or suspected losses of data/information by the ‘provider’.

10th May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183317 on Capita: Cybercrime, whether any (a) civilian and (b) military personnel data was affected by the cyber attack.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation, are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

3rd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has had with Ministers responsible for Afghan schemes since 2 February 2023.

I refer my Rt Hon. Friend to the answer given to his question on 2nd May 2023 (182778).

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
2nd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the cyber attack against Capita on 31 March 2023, whether his Department believe Russian hackers were responsible for the incident.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

2nd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the cyber attack against Capita discovered on 31 March 2023, what personal data was accessed following this attack.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

2nd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the cyber attack against Capita on discovered on 31 March 2023, whether his Department has identified any personal information of defence personnel for sale online following that incident.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

2nd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what date the cyber attack against Capita on 31 March 2023 was reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

2nd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 April to Question 181691, on Capita: Cybercrime, when he expects his Department's investigation into the Capita cyber attack to conclude.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

2nd May 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any personal information of (a) civilian and (b) military personnel working at (i) fire and rescue services, (ii) the submarine training facility and (iii) other Capita defence sites were affected by the cyber attack against Capita on 31 March 2023.

The Cabinet Office, the Financial Conduct Authority and the National Cyber Security Center (NCSC) are working with Capita to understand any risks to government data following the incident in March. Investigations, including client consultation are ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment on the detail for security reasons.

26th Apr 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 25 April 2023 to Question 180997 on Refugees: Afghanistan, how many meetings the Minister for Veterans Affairs has held with relevant Ministers responsible for Afghan schemes since 2 February 2023.

The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs has held various meetings with ministers, advisors and officials regarding Afghan resettlement since February 2023, and continues to engage with colleagues across government as we intensify our support to Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
17th Apr 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of 28 March 2023 by the Minister for Veterans Affairs on Afghan Resettlement Update, Official Report, column 847, on what date the Prime Minister asked the Minister to put together plans to end the practice of Afghan families living in bridging hotels.

On 28 March, I set out the Government’s intention to increase our support to Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation and thereby end the use of temporary bridging hotels for this cohort.

Recognising that this will require a sustained cross-Government effort, on 2 February 2023, the Prime Minister asked me to lead on convening departments that are responsible for the delivery of this work from within the Cabinet Office. Secretaries of State and Ministers remain accountable for their respective policy briefs.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
17th Apr 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the Minister for Veterans Affairs’ responsibilities are for the (a) Afghan Relations and Assistance Policy and (b) Afghan Citizen Resettlement Scheme personnel and their families.

On 28 March, I set out the Government’s intention to increase our support to Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation and thereby end the use of temporary bridging hotels for this cohort.

Recognising that this will require a sustained cross-Government effort, on 2 February 2023, the Prime Minister asked me to lead on convening departments that are responsible for the delivery of this work from within the Cabinet Office. Secretaries of State and Ministers remain accountable for their respective policy briefs.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
21st Feb 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 7 February to Question 138263 on Defence, when he plans to publish the update to the Integrated Review.

As the Chancellor set out in the Autumn Statement, the Government is updating the Integrated Review. The date of publication for this will be confirmed in due course.

12th Jan 2023
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Prime Minister has appointed a Defence Industrial Adviser.

The Defence Industrial Adviser was a temporary role appointed in September 2022 which came to an end in December last year, and which was created under the previous administration. As planned, the responsibilities have reverted back to the previous office holders.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
29th Nov 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the National Resilience Strategy will be published.

We intend to publish early in 2023.

27th Oct 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether it is the government’s policy to continue with the Integrated Review announced by the previous government.

The Government has decided to continue with the Integrated Review refresh. The date of publication will be confirmed in due course.

19th Oct 2022
To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has any plans to appoint a dedicated Space Minister.

My hon. Friend, the Member for Wealden (Nusrat Ghani), is the Minister of State (Minister for Science and Investment Security) at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and has responsibility for these matters. A summary of her responsibilities can be found on gov.uk here: Minister of State (Minister for Science and Investment Security) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

5th Jul 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2022 to Question 23221 on Military Aid: Ukraine, how many meetings of the National Security Council he has personally attended since April 2022.

The National Security Council is a committee of the Cabinet. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

28th Jun 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 27 June 2022 to Question 23221, on Ukraine: Military Aid, how many meetings of the National Security Council have taken place since April 2022; and how many he has attended since that date.

The National Security Council is a committee of the Cabinet. It is a long-established precedent that information about the discussions that have taken place in Cabinet and its Committees, and how often they have met, is not normally shared publicly.

7th Mar 2022
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when he will publish the national resilience strategy.

The Integrated Review, published in March 2021, set a goal to strengthen the UK’s national resilience. The Integrated Review also committed to the development of a new Resilience Strategy to set out a new vision and approach to support improvements to our national resilience. Following a successful Call for Evidence in the summer of last year, the government plans to publish the Strategy in spring 2022.

19th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish the terms of reference for the independent review into the historic treatment of LGBT armed forces service personnel.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for Defence have commissioned an independent Review into the impact of the pre 2000 ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces. The Review will look at the experiences of former LGBT service personnel, and make evidence-based recommendations, including on how the Government can better tailor support to the LGBT veteran community. An independent Chair will be announced shortly, after which the full terms of reference will be published and the Review can commence. As the Review is independent, we cannot comment on potential findings and recommendations that it may make.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the independent review into the historic treatment of LGBT armed forces service personnel will consider appropriate compensation for those affected.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for Defence have commissioned an independent Review into the impact of the pre 2000 ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces. The Review will look at the experiences of former LGBT service personnel, and make evidence-based recommendations, including on how the Government can better tailor support to the LGBT veteran community. An independent Chair will be announced shortly, after which the full terms of reference will be published and the Review can commence. As the Review is independent, we cannot comment on potential findings and recommendations that it may make.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the chair of the independent review into the historic treatment of LGBT of armed forces service personnel will be announced.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for Defence have commissioned an independent Review into the impact of the pre 2000 ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces. The Review will look at the experiences of former LGBT service personnel, and make evidence-based recommendations, including on how the Government can better tailor support to the LGBT veteran community. An independent Chair will be announced shortly, after which the full terms of reference will be published and the Review can commence. As the Review is independent, we cannot comment on potential findings and recommendations that it may make.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
19th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the independent review into the historic treatment of LGBT armed forces personnel will (a) open and (b) publish its findings.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Secretary of State for Defence have commissioned an independent Review into the impact of the pre 2000 ban on homosexuality in the Armed Forces. The Review will look at the experiences of former LGBT service personnel, and make evidence-based recommendations, including on how the Government can better tailor support to the LGBT veteran community. An independent Chair will be announced shortly, after which the full terms of reference will be published and the Review can commence. As the Review is independent, we cannot comment on potential findings and recommendations that it may make.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
18th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will list the budget for the Office for Veterans Affairs for each year from 2019-20 to 2024-25.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) was set up in October 2019 and annual spending has been as follows:

2019/20: £50k (actual spend)

Represents initial set-up costs following the OVA’s establishment in October 2019, part-way through the financial year.

2020/21: £1.6m (actual spend)

Reflects expenditure on building OVA capability and capacity during this period, and the impact of the COVID pandemic on delivery.

2021/22: £4.4m (forecast spend)

In addition to full year expenditure, the OVA is working with the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to distribute a further £5 million through the Afghanistan Veterans Fund, as announced by the Prime Minister in September 2021.

The budgets for 2022-23 and future years are not yet confirmed and will be set in accordance with the department's annual process of business planning. The OVA will also deliver the £5m Veterans Health Innovation Fund in 2022/23, as announced at the Budget in October 2021.

The budget allocated to the OVA represents only part of the Government's wider support for veterans. The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan, launched on 19 January 2022, outlines over 60 commitments funded by over £70 million from departments across Government, including initiatives on health and wellbeing, employment opportunities, digitalisation of services, and enhanced research and data. These commitments build on recent progress and support including the National Insurance contribution holiday for employers of Service leavers, and the introduction of the Veterans Railcard.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
4th Jan 2022
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the £5 million boost for armed forces charities announced by the Government on 6 September 2021, how much and what proportion of that funding has been distributed to armed forces charities; how many of those charities have received additional funding from that £5 million; and how much each of those charities has received.

The £5 million additional funding for Armed Forces charities is being delivered via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust through an open competition. Applications opened on 13 December 2021 and will close on 17 January 2022. Applications will be assessed after this date and the successful charities will be notified in due course. Charities who wish to submit applications can do so via https://covenantfund.org.uk/.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
6th Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of former service personnel sleeping rough each year since 2010.

Current evidence does not show that veterans are more likely to become homeless or sleep rough than the general population.

Less than 1% (0.9%) of households sleeping rough and seeking government support in England in 2020/21 have at least one household member who has served in the Armed Forces.

The government has put support in place to help veterans to access housing. The government has produced new guidance for Local Authorities to ensure veterans are not disadvantaged by their service when applying for social housing, as well as removing the local connection test to assist the transition into civilian accommodation.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
1st Dec 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government contracts there have been where Departments have sought and (a) received and (b) not received assurances regarding contractor’s tax affairs, by Department, since 2014-15.

This information is not held centrally.

2nd Nov 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the figures published by his Department in January 2019 on Population projections: UK armed forces veterans residing in Great Britain 2016 to 2018, whether he plans to publish more recent figures.

For the first time, a question was added to the England and Wales census asking respondents if they have previously served in the UK Armed Forces. A range of new statistics on the veteran population will be published by the Office for National Statistics once the data collected from the census is analysed, including the total number of veterans residing in England and Wales. In Scotland, the census will be carried out in 2022, and will also include a question asking respondents whether they have previously served. In Northern Ireland, the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) will collect data on the total number of veterans in Northern Ireland and the 11 Local Government Districts.

Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
13th May 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to page 41 of his Department’s Integrated Review 2021, how many critical vulnerabilities in the cyber systems of the public sector has the National Cyber Security Centre addressed as at 13 May 2021.

It is for each public sector organisation to remediate vulnerabilities in their systems and this information is not held centrally. This is achieved through activities such as designing systems to be secure, regularly patching, continuous monitoring, security testing and vulnerability disclosure programmes. The NCSC and Cabinet Office provide expert advice and guidance to help public sector organisations address critical vulnerabilities.

Penny Mordaunt
Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons
15th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what (a) policy, (b) administrative and (c) advisory support the civil service provides to select committees.

The civil service does not provide policy, administrative or advisory support to select committees.

The Government supports the work of select committees by providing information and evidence to their inquiries.

12th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment he has made of recent trends in the rate of unemployment among veterans.

Veterans offer a vast range of skills and talent to civilian employers and the Government recognises that having a job is one of the key foundations for those leaving the Armed Forces to transition into civilian life. This is why the Government is taking a number of steps to support veterans into employment such as making it easier to join the Civil Service and introducing a national insurance tax break for their employers. The MOD’s Careers Transition Partnership supports Service leavers entering the job market. Of the 2018/19 UK regular service leavers who used a CTP service, and reported their employment outcomes, 86% were employed, 8% economically inactive, and 6% unemployed six months after using the service.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
12th Jan 2021
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent suicide among veterans.

In January 2019, the Government published the first Cross-Government Suicide Prevention Workplan, which sets out an ambitious programme across national and local government and the NHS. This includes actions being taken forward by MoD and NHS England for veterans and armed service personnel. The Government has committed to publishing an updated workplan and progress report against the National Strategy, expected in Spring 2021.

The majority of veterans successfully access mental health programmes available to the general population through the NHS, however for those veterans who need extra support, the NHS in England offers bespoke and specialist mental health services, which benefit from over £10m investment per year. Recent months have seen the rollout of the new NHS England High Intensity Service, which will provide further specialist care for veterans with acute mental health needs or who are in a mental health crisis. The Government has also provided £6 million in funding to support 100 service charities during the Covid-19 pandemic, including charities supporting veterans with their mental health.

Johnny Mercer
Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
12th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2020 to Question 25623 on Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Public Appointments, if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract entered into with the search company appointed to recruit a replacement panel member.

As part of the Government transparency agenda, it is a legal requirement for central Government Departments to publish all awarded contracts over £10,000 in value on the Contracts Finder website. Once a contract for this recruitment has been finalised and signed it will be published in the usual way.

10th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2020 to Question 25623 on Grenfell Tower Inquiry: Public Appointments, which search company has been engaged to identify a shortlist of candidates; and by what date that company has been asked to return a shortlist.

Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

10th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2020 to Question 25623, if he has set a deadline for a replacement panel member to be appointed.

Further announcements will be made in the usual way.

5th Mar 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when a new panel member will be appointed to the Grenfell Tower inquiry; and what discussions he has with people affected by the Grenfell Tower fire on that appointment.

In February, the Prime Minister, as Sponsor Minister for the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, wrote to the Inquiry Chair to confirm his intention to appoint a replacement panel member. He also confirmed that Cabinet Office officials would engage a search company to identify a shortlist of candidates.

As soon as a suitable new panel member has been identified, the Prime Minister will write to the Inquiry Chair to seek his consent to the appointment as required by the Inquiries Act. The successful candidate will be announced once the process has been completed so they start work as soon as possible.

3rd Feb 2020
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2020 to Question 8952 on Public Appointments: Standards, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the due diligence process for appointments to the panels of statutory public inquiries following the resignation of Benita Mehra from her role as a panel member on the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Due diligence and consideration of conflicts of interest are important parts of any appointment process. The Inquiries Act 2005 sets out the suitability and impartiality requirements of inquiry panel appointments. Appointments to statutory public inquiries are made in accordance with the Act.



Oliver Dowden
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster