Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on increasing the accessibility of the Great Place to Work employment programme.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government understands that recruiting veterans is one of the most effective business decisions that any employer can make, and is committed to ensuring that all veterans have equity of opportunity and access into sustainable employment, including in the Civil Service, after they leave the Armed Forces.
The Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative provides an enhanced opportunity for all veterans, whatever their accessibility requirements, to secure employment and pursue a career in the Civil Service. It enables those who meet the minimum requirements to proceed to the next stage of the application process, which is usually an interview.
The Government has also introduced a range of measures to support veterans and members of the Armed Forces community in the workplace, including the Service Leavers’ Adjustment Passport. The passport enables veterans to have empowered, and where appropriate, confidential conversations with current or future prospective employers, including the Civil Service, to communicate any reasonable adjustments or any other support requirements they may require or benefit from.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of welfare services for veterans.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to ensuring that our welfare services for veterans are fit for the future. That is why in March last year, my right hon. friend the Minister for Defence People, and Families and I jointly commissioned an Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans, which I was pleased was published in full in July 2023.
The Government's response, which was published in December 2023, accepts the principle and intended outcome of all of the review's recommendations.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on delivering the Great Place to Work employment programme.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Recruiting veterans is one of the most effective business decisions that any employer can make. The Civil Service recognises this, and has in place a range of dedicated recruitment initiatives for veterans in order to make the most of their skills and capabilities, and provide the opportunity of a fulfilling career in public service.
The Great Place to Work for Veterans programme is one of a number of veterans’ recruitment initiatives being delivered across the Civil Service.
Over 1,000 veterans to date have secured a job in the Civil Service through the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ initiative and a further 200 veterans have been recruited through the 'Going Forward Into Employment' initiative.
The Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative enables veterans who meet the minimum criteria to progress to the next stage of the application process, which is usually an interview.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how his Department plans to measure and monitor the impact of the Veterans Strategy and Action Plan.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs, alongside partners across and beyond government, continue to monitor the progress of delivery against commitments in the 2022-2024 Strategy Action Plan, and regularly publish updates on progress. The most recent update was provided in the Armed Forces Covenant and Veterans Annual Report laid in Parliament in December 2023. Additionally, the Veterans Advisory Board receives verbal updates on progress made to delivering the Strategy and Action Plan at regular intervals.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many veterans have been employed as a result of the guaranteed interview civil service scheme for veterans since that scheme began.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
There are a range of Civil Service recruitment initiatives for veterans, offering a fulfilling career in public service which makes the most of the skills and capability they have to offer.
Over 1,000 veterans to date have secured a job in the Civil Service through the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ initiative and a further 200 veterans have been recruited through the 'Going Forward Into Employment' initiative.
The Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative enables veterans who meet the minimum criteria to progress to the next stage of the application process, which is usually an interview.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral answer of the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of 18 January 2024, Official Report column 1012, what the evidential basis is for the number of veterans employed through the civil service scheme.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Sustainable, gainful employment is one of the most significant ways to enhance life outcomes for veterans and their families.
Over 1,000 veterans to date have secured a job in the Civil Service through the ‘Great Place to Work for Veterans’ initiative and a further 200 veterans have been recruited through the 'Going Forward Into Employment' initiative. Both figures are based on data sent from Government Departments to the Office for Veterans' Affairs.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what evidential basis the Office for Veterans Affairs said that there were no veteran rough sleepers as of Christmas 2023.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Through Op FORTITUDE, the single referral pathway for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, this Government ensured that no veteran was forced to sleep rough over Christmas due to a lack of available provision, supporting over 450 veterans into housing to date.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs uses a number of data sources to monitor the levels of rough sleeping amongst veterans. This includes a number of data sources collected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Combined Homelessness Information Network (CHAIN) data as well as relevant evidence bases including those collected by the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how often the Office of Veterans' Affairs (a) collects and (b) analyses the number of veterans who are sleeping rough.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Through Op FORTITUDE, the single referral pathway for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness, this Government ensured that no veteran was forced to sleep rough over Christmas due to a lack of available provision, supporting over 450 veterans into housing to date.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs uses a number of data sources to monitor the levels of rough sleeping amongst veterans. This includes a number of data sources collected by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Combined Homelessness Information Network (CHAIN) data as well as relevant evidence bases including those collected by the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs during his oral statement on Afghan Resettlement Update of 13 December 2023, Official Report, column 911, whether the existing hotel contracts being extended apply only to new arrivals from Afghanistan.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Government remains committed to ending the systemic use of hotels, and we do not plan to open new hotels to meet the increased demand from new arrivals from Afghanistan.
The information requested on hotel contracts is not publicly available; however, a small number of hotels with existing contracts have been extended for a limited time period to help accommodate Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme arrivals who have yet to be matched to settled housing solutions in the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, when the Minister for Veterans' Affairs last met with the Parliamentary Under Secretary (Minister for Defence, People and Families) to discuss matters relating to veterans.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Ministry of Defence and the Office for Veterans’ Affairs work collaboratively together to deliver for veterans, as demonstrated by the recent publication of the Government’s response to both the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans and LGBT Veterans Independent Review.
My officials and I continue to meet regularly with the Ministry of Defence to deliver shared priorities, including ramping up delivery of Veterans Cards to ex-service personnel across the country.