Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 15 April 2024 to Question 20144 on Social Rented Housing: Veterans, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of recording the armed forces status of social housing applicants.
Answered by Jacob Young
The Localism Act 2011 gave local authorities the power to decide who qualifies for social housing and to set waiting list policies appropriate to their local area. In June 2020 we published new statutory guidance for local authorities that set out how they can identify applications from members of the Armed Forces, veterans and their families, to ensure that they are considered appropriately.
The guidance also asks local authorities to give ‘additional preference’ (high priority) to seriously injured, ill or disabled Service personnel and former members of the Armed Forces who already have ‘reasonable preference’ (priority).
The latest Local Authority Housing Statistics, available at Local Authority Housing Statistics data returns for 2022 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk), provide data for those households on housing registers which include members of the UK Armed Forces community with additional preference.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2024, to Question 19773, on Veterans: Cost of Living, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing cost of living support for veterans.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
This Government has successfully reduced inflation by more than half, which will make the cost of living more affordable for veterans along with every other resident in the UK.
Veterans’ employment is at an all-time high, with 89% of those leaving service finding employment within six months, but we're determined to go further. The recently launched OP PROSPER backed by £2.1million in government funding will support veterans and their families into valuable, fulfilling employment in roles which fully utilise their skills and capabilities, based in sectors at the forefront of innovation and economic growth.
This government also introduced, and continued for at least one further year at the Autumn statement, 12-month National Insurance relief to eligible employers recruiting veterans in their first civilian role after service.
My officials continue to drive forward efforts to ensure that veterans and their families are fully aware of the benefits and support available to them, including in relation to easing the Cost of Living.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many physically injured veterans are on a waiting list for rehabilitative care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The information requested is not held centrally by NHS England. Veterans are not systematically identified in National Health Service systems, and therefore it is not possible to confirm how many veterans are on waiting lists for NHS services.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many veterans are on a waiting list for mental health treatment.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The information requested is not held centrally by NHS England. Veterans are not systematically identified in National Health Service systems, and therefore it is not possible to confirm how many veterans are on waiting lists for NHS services.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many veterans are on a waiting list for dental care.
Answered by Maria Caulfield
The information requested is not held centrally by NHS England. Veterans are not systematically identified in National Health Service systems, and therefore it is not possible to confirm how many veterans are on waiting lists for NHS services.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the employment rate for veterans was in financial year (a) 2018-19, (b) 2021-22 and (c) 2022-23.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
This Government is committed to making the United Kingdom the best place in the world to be a veteran. This includes making sure all veterans have equity of opportunity and access to valuable, sustainable careers after they leave military service.
Veterans’ employment in the UK is at an all-time high, at 89% within six months of leaving service for those who engage with the available support. Previously, this was at 88% in 2021/22, and 86% in 2018/19.
Op PROSPER, the first-of-its kind initiative backed by £2.1 million of government funding, will further support our veterans into valuable, fulfilling roles which make full use of their capabilities, in sectors at the forefront of the UK’s innovation and economic growth.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2024 to Question 22836 on Veterans: Social Rented Housing, if he will list the locations awarded grants by the Veteran Capital Housing Fund.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The Government launched the £20 million Veterans Capital Housing Fund to ensure the sustainable supply of veteran housing through the refurbishment of affordable rental accommodation and the delivery of new build projects for veterans.
The Fund is a three-year programme with multiple awards planned over that period. Grants supported to date are located in North East England; South East England; and Wales. More details on these grants can be found at https://covenantfund.org.uk/veterans-capital-housing-fund-refurbishment.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2024 to Question 22837 on Office for Veterans' Affairs: Finance and Staff, how many veterans work in the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The information is not held in the format requested.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing the level of employment support available to veterans in Job Centres.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Our Jobcentre teams are supporting people back into employment and helping those in work to progress. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, delivering recruitment days, job fairs, and work trials and more intensive employment programmes.
Specifically on veterans, DWP takes its responsibilities under the Armed Forces Covenant very seriously. Veterans who need help from the department in finding work receive support from their Work Coach, who are trained to provide tailored and personalised support to claimants dependant on their individual circumstances. For those who need specialist support, we have a network of Armed Forces Champions in every Jobcentre Plus District, providing specialist support to members of the Armed Forces community. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services.
Although there has been no specific assessment conducted, the Department monitors the support delivered through our Jobcentre network to ensure we offer the best service possible, and we have had and continue to receive positive feedback from customers and external stakeholders regarding their experience of working with Armed Forces Champions.
Asked by: Lord McCabe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to support the automotive industry's transition to electric vehicles in the West Midlands.
Answered by Alan Mak
We continue to work with industry via the Automotive Transformation Fund (ATF) to support the creation of an internationally competitive zero emission vehicle supply chain in the UK, including gigafactories.
There are substantial opportunities for R&D and capital investment across the supply chain and the West Midlands is well-placed to benefit.
As part of the Advanced Manufacturing Plan, we have announced over £2bn of capital and R&D funding over five years to 2030 in zero emission vehicles, batteries and the wider supply chain, boosting the UK’s competitiveness and unlocking strategic investments in our automotive industry.