Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average waiting time was for nuclear test veterans who applied for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme to receive compensation in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Nuclear Test Veterans (NTVs) who believe they have suffered ill health due to Service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). Each case is considered on its own merits. War Disablement Pensions are medically certified with relevant material facts including on claimed incidents, events, and exposures.
There is not a specific NTV claim form for compensation under the WPS. However, a supplementary form is available which allows for NTV-specific information to be provided at the point of claim.
The number of WPS claims with a supplementary NTV claim form attached and the information requested for the number of NTVs who applied for, and received compensation, over the last five years is not held centrally.
WPS Caseworkers are experienced and, together with qualified medical professionals, do their utmost to acquire the relevant evidence and information to ensure the decisions made are both fair and correct. Currently, there are 35 Caseworkers who assess claims and appeals under the WPS, which include the assessment of the supplementary NTV claim form. There are currently 30 Medical Advisers who medically certify War Disablement Pension decisions.
First claims made under the WPS during 2023/24 were cleared, on average, in approximately nine months. Second and subsequent claims made under the WPS during 2023-24 were cleared, on average, in seven months. War Widow/Widowers claims during 2023-24 were cleared, on average, in two months.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many staff in his Department are employed to assess compensation claims from British nuclear test veterans who served on Christmas Island.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Nuclear Test Veterans (NTVs) who believe they have suffered ill health due to Service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). Each case is considered on its own merits. War Disablement Pensions are medically certified with relevant material facts including on claimed incidents, events, and exposures.
There is not a specific NTV claim form for compensation under the WPS. However, a supplementary form is available which allows for NTV-specific information to be provided at the point of claim.
The number of WPS claims with a supplementary NTV claim form attached and the information requested for the number of NTVs who applied for, and received compensation, over the last five years is not held centrally.
WPS Caseworkers are experienced and, together with qualified medical professionals, do their utmost to acquire the relevant evidence and information to ensure the decisions made are both fair and correct. Currently, there are 35 Caseworkers who assess claims and appeals under the WPS, which include the assessment of the supplementary NTV claim form. There are currently 30 Medical Advisers who medically certify War Disablement Pension decisions.
First claims made under the WPS during 2023/24 were cleared, on average, in approximately nine months. Second and subsequent claims made under the WPS during 2023-24 were cleared, on average, in seven months. War Widow/Widowers claims during 2023-24 were cleared, on average, in two months.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British nuclear test veterans who served on Christmas Island have (a) applied for and (b) received compensation in each of the last five years.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Nuclear Test Veterans (NTVs) who believe they have suffered ill health due to Service have the right to apply for no-fault compensation under the War Pension Scheme (WPS). Each case is considered on its own merits. War Disablement Pensions are medically certified with relevant material facts including on claimed incidents, events, and exposures.
There is not a specific NTV claim form for compensation under the WPS. However, a supplementary form is available which allows for NTV-specific information to be provided at the point of claim.
The number of WPS claims with a supplementary NTV claim form attached and the information requested for the number of NTVs who applied for, and received compensation, over the last five years is not held centrally.
WPS Caseworkers are experienced and, together with qualified medical professionals, do their utmost to acquire the relevant evidence and information to ensure the decisions made are both fair and correct. Currently, there are 35 Caseworkers who assess claims and appeals under the WPS, which include the assessment of the supplementary NTV claim form. There are currently 30 Medical Advisers who medically certify War Disablement Pension decisions.
First claims made under the WPS during 2023/24 were cleared, on average, in approximately nine months. Second and subsequent claims made under the WPS during 2023-24 were cleared, on average, in seven months. War Widow/Widowers claims during 2023-24 were cleared, on average, in two months.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women were (a) prosecuted and (b) convicted for domestic abuse against men in the period 2022-2023 .
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The Ministry of Justice publishes data on the number of offenders prosecuted and convicted which can be filtered to specific offences. This can be obtained in the Outcomes by Offences data tool, which can be downloaded from the Criminal Justice Statistics landing page here: criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2023.
It is not possible to separately identify cases of domestic abuse, which will be recorded under the specific offences for which they are convicted, for example, intentional strangulation or suffocation. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question
To ask the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney, representing the House of Commons Commission, what steps the Commission is taking to reduce the use of IT hardware manufactured in China on the parliamentary estate.
Answered by Nick Smith
The House of Commons Administration is aware of the risks, and carefully considers hardware procurements, and any security implications of using Chinese manufactured IT hardware on the parliamentary estate. We work with government departments to ensure that we work in line with the latest advice and guidance. The procurement of much of Parliament’s IT hardware (i.e. laptops, printers, tablets and accessories) is managed by a UK-based company called XMA.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will (a) commission and (b) publish research into domestic abuse against men.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The definition of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) encompasses crimes which disproportionately, but not exclusively, affect women and girls. We recognise that men and boys also experience abusive and violent crimes, such as stalking, domestic abuse and sexual abuse. That is why we fund a specific helpline with Respect, which provides specialist tailored support for male victims of domestic abuse.
On 24 October, the Home Secretary announced a package of reforms to improve the police response to victims of VAWG related crimes. Ensuring that all victims have a positive experience when dealing with the police is essential to increase reporting of these crimes and deliver better outcomes for victims.
Our new VAWG strategy to be published next year aims to help all victims of domestic abuse and this strategy will lay out our plans for any future initiatives and research, including for men who are victims of abuse.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle domestic abuse against men.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The definition of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) encompasses crimes which disproportionately, but not exclusively, affect women and girls. We recognise that men and boys also experience abusive and violent crimes, such as stalking, domestic abuse and sexual abuse. That is why we fund a specific helpline with Respect, which provides specialist tailored support for male victims of domestic abuse.
On 24 October, the Home Secretary announced a package of reforms to improve the police response to victims of VAWG related crimes. Ensuring that all victims have a positive experience when dealing with the police is essential to increase reporting of these crimes and deliver better outcomes for victims.
Our new VAWG strategy to be published next year aims to help all victims of domestic abuse and this strategy will lay out our plans for any future initiatives and research, including for men who are victims of abuse.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve reporting of domestic abuse against men.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
The definition of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) encompasses crimes which disproportionately, but not exclusively, affect women and girls. We recognise that men and boys also experience abusive and violent crimes, such as stalking, domestic abuse and sexual abuse. That is why we fund a specific helpline with Respect, which provides specialist tailored support for male victims of domestic abuse.
On 24 October, the Home Secretary announced a package of reforms to improve the police response to victims of VAWG related crimes. Ensuring that all victims have a positive experience when dealing with the police is essential to increase reporting of these crimes and deliver better outcomes for victims.
Our new VAWG strategy to be published next year aims to help all victims of domestic abuse and this strategy will lay out our plans for any future initiatives and research, including for men who are victims of abuse.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce familial abuse.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
This Government is committed to tackling domestic and sexual abuse in all its forms. Achieving our aim of halving violence against women and girls in a decade will require a whole systems approach.
The Domestic Abuse Act (2021) recognises children as victims of domestic abuse in their own right when they see, hear or experience the effects of domestic abuse.
We recognise that domestic abuse and sexual violence can take many forms such as from family members in the context of so-called honour-based abuse, or older victims experiencing abuse from their partner or adult children. That is why we fund Hourglass and Karma Nirvana to deliver specialist helplines, which provide tailored support for older victims of domestic abuse and victims of honour-based abuse respectively.
This government also remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse and working to keep children safe across the country. We are driving forward action right across government, education, children’s social care, health, policing, law enforcement, and working with industry, international and civil society partners to ensure we are all doing all that we can to tackle this horrific crime.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to upgrade and modernise married living quarters at RAF Cosford.
Answered by Maria Eagle - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Circa 95% of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) supporting RAF Cosford is at or above Decent Homes Standard.
Improving our Service accommodation across the UK and providing good quality homes that are safe and well maintained is a top priority for the Department. This Government is committed to setting new minimum standards for military housing, with the aim of improving the standard of SFA across the estate.
Circa £440 million is currently forecast to be spent on maintaining and improving SFA across the Defence Estate within financial year 2024-25.