Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to support (a) veterans and (b) bereaved service families in Northern Ireland, in the context of the closure of the Veterans' Support Office.

The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans and the bereaved community, wherever they live in the UK, are able to access timely and appropriate support should they require it. The Government also recognises the unique commitment that Service families make to our country, and in particular the sacrifices of those who are bereaved. That is why we are working to coordinate and cohere the range of support available, including in Northern Ireland, more effectively.

Defence takes a holistic, multi agency approach to supporting our bereaved community, with UK wide support in place through the Single Services and the Defence Bereaved Families Group. Local support is additionally provided via the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI), which is a specialist statutory welfare provider that supports veterans and their families via its field teams across Northern Ireland. The service provides information and practical support, including physiotherapy and psychological therapies for eligible veterans. In addition, the £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot, which supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland, is providing valuable insight to improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs locally and works closely with VWS NI. These initiatives build on the work of the 11 Veterans’ Champions in councils across Northern Ireland.

The Office for Veterans Affairs’ has recently established a presence in Northern Ireland, to support strategic coordination of organisations, programmes and initiatives for veterans’ wellbeing. The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, a charity and Non Departmental Public Body of the Ministry of Defence, supports the Thrive Together programme, which is led by the charity Brooke House and aims to establish sustainable and resilient networks to ensure veterans and their families receive prompt, effective and tailored support in Northern Ireland.

The Government is additionally working to ensure the bereaved community are clearly recognised and referenced as a cohort in their own right, distinctly separate to veterans, both internally and externally in communications and language used. This will improve clear signposting to support and resources available, and to ensure recognition of bereaved as a specific cohort no matter where they are living.