Stephanie Peacock

Johnny Mercer MP was appointed as the first standalone UK Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 7 July in recognition of the seriousness with which this country takes supporting our veterans.

No budget is attached to the new role, but the Office for Veterans' Affairs has a budget this financial year of £10.3m. Severance payments for Ministers are a statutory entitlement under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. Salary entitlements are set out in Schedule One of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs’ salary is not being drawn from the Office for Veterans' Affairs' budget.

Under current arrangements the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has been allocated one full-time Private Secretary.

Johnny Mercer MP was appointed as the first standalone UK Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 7 July in recognition of the seriousness with which this country takes supporting our veterans.

No budget is attached to the new role, but the Office for Veterans' Affairs has a budget this financial year of £10.3m. Severance payments for Ministers are a statutory entitlement under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. Salary entitlements are set out in Schedule One of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs’ salary is not being drawn from the Office for Veterans' Affairs' budget.

Under current arrangements the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has been allocated one full-time Private Secretary.

Johnny Mercer MP was appointed as the first standalone UK Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 7 July in recognition of the seriousness with which this country takes supporting our veterans.

No budget is attached to the new role, but the Office for Veterans' Affairs has a budget this financial year of £10.3m. Severance payments for Ministers are a statutory entitlement under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. Salary entitlements are set out in Schedule One of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs’ salary is not being drawn from the Office for Veterans' Affairs' budget.

Under current arrangements the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has been allocated one full-time Private Secretary.

Johnny Mercer MP was appointed as the first standalone UK Minister for Veterans' Affairs on 7 July in recognition of the seriousness with which this country takes supporting our veterans.

No budget is attached to the new role, but the Office for Veterans' Affairs has a budget this financial year of £10.3m. Severance payments for Ministers are a statutory entitlement under section 4 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. Salary entitlements are set out in Schedule One of the Ministerial and Other Salaries Act 1975. The Minister for Veterans' Affairs’ salary is not being drawn from the Office for Veterans' Affairs' budget.

Under current arrangements the Minister for Veterans' Affairs has been allocated one full-time Private Secretary.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the hon. Member’s Parliamentary Question of 9 June is attached.

In the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022 – 2024, the OVA laid out its commitment to promote a positive public perception of veterans.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs commissioned YouGov in January 2022 to carry out a comprehensive research study into the public and employer’s perception of veterans. The fieldwork for this project has now been completed and the research team is in the process of drafting the final report and findings.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan includes over 60 cross-government commitments and has made good progress in its delivery since its launch in January 2022. I will answer each question in turn:

• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has established both an advisory group of academics and researchers, as well as a working group composed of representatives from the Devolved Administrations to meet quarterly.
• The Office for Veterans’ Affairs continues to keep the governance of veterans issues across government under review, and has recently advertised for vacancies on the Veterans’ Advisory Board. I look forward to announcing new board members in due course.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has recently delivered the bespoke campaign on employability via a media partnership. We have also further developed tailored veteran employment schemes in the public sector, including Great Place to Work in the Civil Service, Advance into Justice in the Prison Service, and Step into Health. Employers taking on veterans in their first civilian job now benefit from a 12-month National Insurance holiday. We’ve introduced tailored employment schemes in the public sector, and work closely with the private sector to enhance opportunities for veterans to make the best use of their skills.
• The commitment on sharing best practice with Disabled Persons Organisations was delivered in March, when I hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the experiences and developments in veteran adaptive sports. I also had the opportunity to recently see veteran adaptive sports in action at the Invictus Games in The Hague and the Veteran Games in Tel Aviv.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan includes over 60 cross-government commitments and has made good progress in its delivery since its launch in January 2022. I will answer each question in turn:

• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has established both an advisory group of academics and researchers, as well as a working group composed of representatives from the Devolved Administrations to meet quarterly.
• The Office for Veterans’ Affairs continues to keep the governance of veterans issues across government under review, and has recently advertised for vacancies on the Veterans’ Advisory Board. I look forward to announcing new board members in due course.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has recently delivered the bespoke campaign on employability via a media partnership. We have also further developed tailored veteran employment schemes in the public sector, including Great Place to Work in the Civil Service, Advance into Justice in the Prison Service, and Step into Health. Employers taking on veterans in their first civilian job now benefit from a 12-month National Insurance holiday. We’ve introduced tailored employment schemes in the public sector, and work closely with the private sector to enhance opportunities for veterans to make the best use of their skills.
• The commitment on sharing best practice with Disabled Persons Organisations was delivered in March, when I hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the experiences and developments in veteran adaptive sports. I also had the opportunity to recently see veteran adaptive sports in action at the Invictus Games in The Hague and the Veteran Games in Tel Aviv.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan includes over 60 cross-government commitments and has made good progress in its delivery since its launch in January 2022. I will answer each question in turn:

• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has established both an advisory group of academics and researchers, as well as a working group composed of representatives from the Devolved Administrations to meet quarterly.
• The Office for Veterans’ Affairs continues to keep the governance of veterans issues across government under review, and has recently advertised for vacancies on the Veterans’ Advisory Board. I look forward to announcing new board members in due course.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has recently delivered the bespoke campaign on employability via a media partnership. We have also further developed tailored veteran employment schemes in the public sector, including Great Place to Work in the Civil Service, Advance into Justice in the Prison Service, and Step into Health. Employers taking on veterans in their first civilian job now benefit from a 12-month National Insurance holiday. We’ve introduced tailored employment schemes in the public sector, and work closely with the private sector to enhance opportunities for veterans to make the best use of their skills.
• The commitment on sharing best practice with Disabled Persons Organisations was delivered in March, when I hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the experiences and developments in veteran adaptive sports. I also had the opportunity to recently see veteran adaptive sports in action at the Invictus Games in The Hague and the Veteran Games in Tel Aviv.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan includes over 60 cross-government commitments and has made good progress in its delivery since its launch in January 2022. I will answer each question in turn:

• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has established both an advisory group of academics and researchers, as well as a working group composed of representatives from the Devolved Administrations to meet quarterly.
• The Office for Veterans’ Affairs continues to keep the governance of veterans issues across government under review, and has recently advertised for vacancies on the Veterans’ Advisory Board. I look forward to announcing new board members in due course.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has recently delivered the bespoke campaign on employability via a media partnership. We have also further developed tailored veteran employment schemes in the public sector, including Great Place to Work in the Civil Service, Advance into Justice in the Prison Service, and Step into Health. Employers taking on veterans in their first civilian job now benefit from a 12-month National Insurance holiday. We’ve introduced tailored employment schemes in the public sector, and work closely with the private sector to enhance opportunities for veterans to make the best use of their skills.
• The commitment on sharing best practice with Disabled Persons Organisations was delivered in March, when I hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the experiences and developments in veteran adaptive sports. I also had the opportunity to recently see veteran adaptive sports in action at the Invictus Games in The Hague and the Veteran Games in Tel Aviv.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan includes over 60 cross-government commitments and has made good progress in its delivery since its launch in January 2022. I will answer each question in turn:

• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has established both an advisory group of academics and researchers, as well as a working group composed of representatives from the Devolved Administrations to meet quarterly.
• The Office for Veterans’ Affairs continues to keep the governance of veterans issues across government under review, and has recently advertised for vacancies on the Veterans’ Advisory Board. I look forward to announcing new board members in due course.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs has recently delivered the bespoke campaign on employability via a media partnership. We have also further developed tailored veteran employment schemes in the public sector, including Great Place to Work in the Civil Service, Advance into Justice in the Prison Service, and Step into Health. Employers taking on veterans in their first civilian job now benefit from a 12-month National Insurance holiday. We’ve introduced tailored employment schemes in the public sector, and work closely with the private sector to enhance opportunities for veterans to make the best use of their skills.
• The commitment on sharing best practice with Disabled Persons Organisations was delivered in March, when I hosted a roundtable meeting to discuss the experiences and developments in veteran adaptive sports. I also had the opportunity to recently see veteran adaptive sports in action at the Invictus Games in The Hague and the Veteran Games in Tel Aviv.

I pay tribute to the work of those involved in this important research. While the Government has no formal obligation to respond to this study, I acknowledge its recommendations and have asked the Office for Veterans' Affairs to consider them carefully. In addition, I am confident that this study, along with a range of other evidence, will be considered by the upcoming Independent LGBT Veterans Review, which the government will formally respond to in due course.

The commitment to establish an advisory group of organisations employing veterans is one of over 60 set out in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan, which was published earlier this year. The group will focus on members' experiences employing those who have served and will also provide a forum for discussion around the range of policies and programmes impacting veterans in this area.

Ensuring veterans maintain stable and fulfilling employment post service is a key theme of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan. The Government has committed over £70 million on more than 60 Action Plan commitments, including promoting opportunities in the uniformed and Health services. It will be delivered by departments through sharing of resources and messaging, creation of networks and championing schemes such as Step into Health and Advance Into Justice.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs monitors the delivery of the Strategy Action Plan, and regularly convenes departments across Government to ensure these important commitments are met.

Ensuring veterans maintain stable and fulfilling employment post service is a key theme of the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan. The Government has committed over £70 million on more than 60 Action Plan commitments, including promoting opportunities in the uniformed and Health services. It will be delivered by departments through sharing of resources and messaging, creation of networks and championing schemes such as Step into Health and Advance Into Justice.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs monitors the delivery of the Strategy Action Plan, and regularly convenes departments across Government to ensure these important commitments are met.

The Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) Life Chance scheme provides opportunities for those who face barriers to employment, and who would struggle to compete on the basis of fair and open competition without further training and support. Through the use of an exception (2) in the Recruitment Principles 2018, we are able to use innovative approaches to recruit individuals on Fixed Term Appointments, which may lead to the option of being made permanent.

The Veterans scheme, launched by GFiE in 2019, provides all departments with the ability to employ Veterans or Military Partners & Spouses into real roles. In addition, a single departmental scheme (run out of HMRC) was developed to support Service Leavers and in December 2021, this was brought into the GFiE delivery model, allowing it to be delivered centrally, but more importantly, it has now been made available for all departments to utilise.

We continue to grow the scheme and do more, with the introduction of GFiE targets announced in the Office for Veteran Affairs Strategic Action Plan from April 2022. This will help provide an increasing number of Life Chance opportunities and help to make the Civil Service a great place to work for Veterans.

Data on veterans’ employment is improving all the time but there is still more to do.

Data held by NHSE indicates that between Q1 19/20 and Q3 21/22,1,595 NHS job offers were made to applicants who have previously served in the Armed Forces, although it is unclear how many of those offers were accepted

Data from the Ministry of Justice indicates that between March 2017 and December 2021 there were 1,568 Prison Officers recorded as having previous service in the Armed Forces.

The Department for Education does not hold data on how many veterans are working as teachers.

The Veterans' Strategy Action Plan 2022-24, launched in January 2022, outlines the actions the UK Government will take to support veterans and their families across the UK. Many services are devolved, but we work closely with the Devolved Administrations and service providers across the United Kingdom to learn from one another.

Veterans Commissioners exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as a newly appointed Veterans Commissioner for Wales, to represent the views of their veterans and signpost services in their nation. We have also appointed the Independent Veterans Adviser who reports directly to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

We will continue to engage and collaborate on delivery with local authorities, other statutory service providers, service charities, academia and private sector organisations - many of which have UK-wide reach. Moving forward, analysis of standardised census data on veterans will provide unprecedented insight into where our veterans live and allow us to better address their needs. In addition, the new Covenant duty, introduced as part of the Armed Forces Act 2021, will increase awareness of the Armed Forces Community and the Covenant at the local level, improving delivery in key areas of health, housing and education across the UK, and so provide greater consistency of support.

The Veterans Mobility Fund was launched in 2016 with a five-year commitment of £3 million from LIBOR fines, to support veterans with Service-related serious physical injury. The Government is committed to ensuring there is no gap in provision for those who relied on the Mobility Fund. The NHS has a range of mobility equipment which meets the clinical needs experienced by veterans, which includes Personal Health Budgets for Wheelchairs.

During the early adopter phase, 3,126 applications were submitted by veterans through the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Of the applications, 1,063 were offered an interview, with 310 subsequent job offers. These numbers suggest the initiative has been successful in providing greater opportunities to veterans to pursue a career in the Civil Service. Feedback from Civil Service and Veterans’ organisations agreed the scheme helps break down negative perceptions of veterans within society and among employers.

Following the success of the early adopter phase, we are currently rolling the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative out across the Civil Service with all departments expected to have implemented the initiative by 31 March 2022.

During the early adopter phase, 3,126 applications were submitted by veterans through the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Of the applications, 1,063 were offered an interview, with 310 subsequent job offers. These numbers suggest the initiative has been successful in providing greater opportunities to veterans to pursue a career in the Civil Service. Feedback from Civil Service and Veterans’ organisations agreed the scheme helps break down negative perceptions of veterans within society and among employers.

Following the success of the early adopter phase, we are currently rolling the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative out across the Civil Service with all departments expected to have implemented the initiative by 31 March 2022.

During the early adopter phase, Cabinet Office received 255 applications from veterans through the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Of the applications, 48 were offered an interview, with 10 subsequent job offers. These numbers suggest the initiative has been successful in providing greater opportunities to veterans to pursue a career in the Civil Service.

The number of veterans employed in the Cabinet Office since 2010 is not held.

During the early adopter phase, Cabinet Office received 255 applications from veterans through the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative. Of the applications, 48 were offered an interview, with 10 subsequent job offers. These numbers suggest the initiative has been successful in providing greater opportunities to veterans to pursue a career in the Civil Service.

The number of veterans employed in the Cabinet Office since 2010 is not held.

The 2022-23 budget allocation for the Office for Veterans’ Affairs has not yet been confirmed as the Cabinet Office's business planning process is still ongoing.

We are grateful to all those who participated in the British nuclear testing programme which played a valuable role towards developing a nuclear deterrent that has ultimately kept Britain safe for decades. We take our obligations to our personnel extremely seriously and ministers are always open to discussing whether we can do more.

My Office is in discussions to arrange a mutually convenient time to meet representatives of the nuclear testing veterans.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. I have, therefore, asked the Authority to respond.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has been working with the Office for National Statistics to further develop plans for a ten year retrospective study looking at suicides within the veteran community. We are working with the MoD to access the data required for this study, and this analysis will look at issues including the frequency of suicide within the veteran community since 2011 and how this rate has changed. This study is expected to be conducted with results published next year.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs also continues to engage with the Office for National Statistics as analysis plans are put in place for the veterans data collected in the 2021 England and Wales census, which will be used to produce a measure of the number of veterans who take their own lives each year. It is expected that the first annual statistic on this will be published in 2023.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has been working with the Office for National Statistics to further develop plans for a ten year retrospective study looking at suicides within the veteran community. We are working with the MoD to access the data required for this study, and this analysis will look at issues including the frequency of suicide within the veteran community since 2011 and how this rate has changed. This study is expected to be conducted with results published next year.

The Office for Veterans’ Affairs also continues to engage with the Office for National Statistics as analysis plans are put in place for the veterans data collected in the 2021 England and Wales census, which will be used to produce a measure of the number of veterans who take their own lives each year. It is expected that the first annual statistic on this will be published in 2023.

I am committed to ensuring that veterans enter appropriate employment post service. The Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme is an example of one of the initiatives we have brought in to support veteran employment. A successful trial phase ran in six departments for nine months.

1,524 veterans who applied through the scheme received an interview and 344 received a job offer.

Given this was just a trial phase rolled out in six early adopter departments, it is not appropriate to measure the proportion of jobs filled through the scheme across the whole Civil Service.

I am committed to ensuring that veterans enter appropriate employment post service. The Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme is an example of one of the initiatives we have brought in to support veteran employment. A successful trial phase ran in six departments for nine months.

1,524 veterans who applied through the scheme received an interview and 344 received a job offer.

Given this was just a trial phase rolled out in six early adopter departments, it is not appropriate to measure the proportion of jobs filled through the scheme across the whole Civil Service.

I am committed to ensuring that veterans enter appropriate employment post service. The Great Place to Work for Veterans Scheme is an example of one of the initiatives we have brought in to support veteran employment. A successful trial phase ran in six departments for nine months.

1,524 veterans who applied through the scheme received an interview and 344 received a job offer.

Given this was just a trial phase rolled out in six early adopter departments, it is not appropriate to measure the proportion of jobs filled through the scheme across the whole Civil Service.

The Government has consistently adapted its response to COVID-19, including new variants, as more is learnt about the virus and how best to manage it.

The Government has developed a wide range of tools to: reduce the risk of new variants emerging; stop and slow importation of the most dangerous variants; identify new variants and outbreaks; and ensure there is an appropriate response if further outbreaks occur. This includes - but is not limited to - the enhancement of domestic sequencing capacity this year. Our domestic capacity is set to further increase over the coming months, enabling a higher number of PCR positive cases to undergo whole genome sequencing, which in turn improves our ability to detect any new variants.

The Government is committed to learning lessons from COVID-19 to inform our preparedness for future epidemics. The government fully expects that many of those lessons will come from the public inquiry which will begin its work in spring 2022.

On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 would be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022.

Further details will be set out in due course.

On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 would be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022.

Further details will be set out in due course.

On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 would be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022.

Further details will be set out in due course.

On 12 May, the Prime Minister confirmed that a public inquiry into COVID-19 would be established on a statutory basis, with full formal powers, and that it will begin its work in spring 2022.

Further details will be set out in due course.

The assessment of historic medals claims is a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) whose terms of reference are publicly available on gov.uk.

The independent chair of the AMSC was appointed through open and fair competition via a public appointments process. The AMSC has a majority of independent members who were recruited for their working knowledge of HM Armed Forces; experience of public service; experience of assessment and decision-making. It is important that members of the Sub-Committee advising on the award of military honours have relevant knowledge and experience. Members are required to declare any conflicts of interest to the AMSC secretariat before any evidence is presented to the AMSC and prior to any discussion of a particular claim taking place.

The AMSC meets regularly to discuss cases. As an independent Sub-Committee, the AMSC may determine for itself which medals claims should be reviewed. I understand that the case for medallic recognition for Nuclear Test Veterans was considered at length by the Sub-Committee.

It is not possible to give specific timings on the duration required for the Sub-Committee to consider a case, as each claim will be different and each case is carefully considered. The details of cases must remain confidential until the decision-making process is final. To preserve the confidentiality of the honours process, the details of decisions are not published. The outcome of AMSC reviews are announced on gov.uk once the advice has been fully assessed, including (where appropriate) via the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to The Sovereign.

The assessment of historic medals claims is a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) whose terms of reference are publicly available on gov.uk.

The independent chair of the AMSC was appointed through open and fair competition via a public appointments process. The AMSC has a majority of independent members who were recruited for their working knowledge of HM Armed Forces; experience of public service; experience of assessment and decision-making. It is important that members of the Sub-Committee advising on the award of military honours have relevant knowledge and experience. Members are required to declare any conflicts of interest to the AMSC secretariat before any evidence is presented to the AMSC and prior to any discussion of a particular claim taking place.

The AMSC meets regularly to discuss cases. As an independent Sub-Committee, the AMSC may determine for itself which medals claims should be reviewed. I understand that the case for medallic recognition for Nuclear Test Veterans was considered at length by the Sub-Committee.

It is not possible to give specific timings on the duration required for the Sub-Committee to consider a case, as each claim will be different and each case is carefully considered. The details of cases must remain confidential until the decision-making process is final. To preserve the confidentiality of the honours process, the details of decisions are not published. The outcome of AMSC reviews are announced on gov.uk once the advice has been fully assessed, including (where appropriate) via the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to The Sovereign.

The assessment of historic medals claims is a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) whose terms of reference are publicly available on gov.uk.

The independent chair of the AMSC was appointed through open and fair competition via a public appointments process. The AMSC has a majority of independent members who were recruited for their working knowledge of HM Armed Forces; experience of public service; experience of assessment and decision-making. It is important that members of the Sub-Committee advising on the award of military honours have relevant knowledge and experience. Members are required to declare any conflicts of interest to the AMSC secretariat before any evidence is presented to the AMSC and prior to any discussion of a particular claim taking place.

The AMSC meets regularly to discuss cases. As an independent Sub-Committee, the AMSC may determine for itself which medals claims should be reviewed. I understand that the case for medallic recognition for Nuclear Test Veterans was considered at length by the Sub-Committee.

It is not possible to give specific timings on the duration required for the Sub-Committee to consider a case, as each claim will be different and each case is carefully considered. The details of cases must remain confidential until the decision-making process is final. To preserve the confidentiality of the honours process, the details of decisions are not published. The outcome of AMSC reviews are announced on gov.uk once the advice has been fully assessed, including (where appropriate) via the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to The Sovereign.

The assessment of historic medals claims is a matter for the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee (AMSC) whose terms of reference are publicly available on gov.uk.

The independent chair of the AMSC was appointed through open and fair competition via a public appointments process. The AMSC has a majority of independent members who were recruited for their working knowledge of HM Armed Forces; experience of public service; experience of assessment and decision-making. It is important that members of the Sub-Committee advising on the award of military honours have relevant knowledge and experience. Members are required to declare any conflicts of interest to the AMSC secretariat before any evidence is presented to the AMSC and prior to any discussion of a particular claim taking place.

The AMSC meets regularly to discuss cases. As an independent Sub-Committee, the AMSC may determine for itself which medals claims should be reviewed. I understand that the case for medallic recognition for Nuclear Test Veterans was considered at length by the Sub-Committee.

It is not possible to give specific timings on the duration required for the Sub-Committee to consider a case, as each claim will be different and each case is carefully considered. The details of cases must remain confidential until the decision-making process is final. To preserve the confidentiality of the honours process, the details of decisions are not published. The outcome of AMSC reviews are announced on gov.uk once the advice has been fully assessed, including (where appropriate) via the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals to The Sovereign.