Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what targets have been set for the operation and activity of the Veterans' Gateway.

The Veterans' Gateway puts veterans and their families in touch with the organisations best placed to provide the information, advice and support that they need. The Gateway was awarded a Covenant Fund grant of almost £2 million for set-up and initial operating costs, to be paid in instalments over a two year period. To date, payments totalling £1 million have been made. In addition, £100,000 was awarded and paid to support the costs associated with an independent evaluation.

Governance and value for money were key criteria used in the assessment process which led to the awarding of the £2 million grant. The payments of the grant instalments are, therefore, linked to the achievement of milestones, which include quarterly monitoring reports, evaluations of marketing activity, annual reviews and the completion of an independent evaluation. An independent evaluation of the Veterans' Gateway has been commissioned and will be delivered by the University of Ulster.

In addition, a Veterans Reference Group to be chaired by a veteran who has lived experience of being 'wounded, injured or sick' will ensure that the Veterans' Gateway continues to focus on the needs of the veterans' community in an uncomplicated and informative way.

A total of 608 calls to the Veterans' Gateway contact centre (staffed mainly by veterans) were referred to 20 partner charities in the period from its launch to 14 November 2017. Many veterans who contact the Gateway have their query resolved through an initial contact and do not seek a further referral. Other veterans are able to find the right organisation for their needs via self-service guides provided on the website. In addition to the calls referred to partner charities, there have been 133,000 website sessions; 1,550 Phone calls; 967 emailed questions and 651 live chats through the website.