Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support is available for families of veterans in Northern Ireland; and if he will supply additional resources for such needs.

The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access appropriate support wherever they live in the UK and is working to coordinate and cohere the range of support available, including in Northern Ireland, more effectively.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome David Johnstone to his new role as Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner. David will play a crucial role in supporting veterans across Northern Ireland. I look forward to working with him, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, other Government Departments and across society to ensure veterans and their families in Northern Ireland receive the best possible support.

The Armed Forces Covenant continues to be a key Government priority, with a commitment to fully implement the Covenant in law. The Armed Forces Covenant ensures that the Armed Forces community is treated fairly across the UK, although its delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. We are making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken, and the new Duty will apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Extensive engagement has taken place on the new Covenant duty with a range of stakeholders, including the Devolved Governments, with whom the UK Government will continue to work proactively on tailored approaches.

The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), a charity and Non-Departmental Public Body of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), supports the Thrive Together programme. In Northern Ireland, this is led by the charity Brooke House and brings together a range of local service providers to establish sustainable and resilient networks that ensure veterans and their families receive prompt, effective and tailored support in Northern Ireland. The initiative builds on the first iteration of the AFCFT’s Veterans’ Places, Pathways and People programme and the ongoing work of the 11 Veterans’ Champions in councils across Northern Ireland.

The Prime Minister recently announced an additional £3.5 million funding to continue the UK-wide Reducing Veteran Homelessness (RVH) Programme, which includes Op FORTITUDE, a Government-backed centralised referral pathway designed to support veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In March 2024, Beyond the Battlefield were awarded £100,000 by the RVH programme to provide services for veterans in Northern Ireland who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

A range of cross-Government employment support is also available to veterans and their families after their time in service. This includes the Ministry of Defence (MOD)-hosted Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of resettlement provision for veterans leaving military service, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving service. In addition, a government-backed veterans’ sector-based employment scheme supports veterans to access employment opportunities across the UK, including enabling access to qualifications and training, to veterans and their families at any stage in their lives after leaving service.

The Office for Veterans Affairs’ (OVA) in the MOD has recently established a presence in Northern Ireland to support strategic coordination of organisations, programmes and initiatives for veterans’ wellbeing. The OVA works closely and routinely with the Northern Ireland Office, the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) and the Office of the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner to ensure alignment of effort where possible and as appropriate.

The Veterans’ Support Office (VSO) played a role in coordinating and signposting to statutory and charity provision. It closed in June 2024 as the way support for veterans is provided in Northern Ireland continues to evolve. Veteran support services have continued, including those grant-funded posts and projects previously facilitated by the VSO.

MOD representatives from the OVA and VWS NI additionally co-chair the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Committee, a voluntary coalition of organisations that specialise in delivering support services to veterans and their families in Northern Ireland, and the quarterly NI Veterans’ Champion Committee. There are now Veterans’ Champions in all eleven local authorities. Both committees help further situational awareness, facilitate better coordination of effort, and provide an effective pool of subject matter expertise to drive continuous improvement in service delivery for veterans in Northern Ireland.

VWS NI is a trusted statutory provider of specialist and holistic support for service leavers, veterans, their families and the bereaved in Northern Ireland. Following the merger in April 2023 of the UDR and R IRISH Home Service Aftercare Service with Defence Business Services, VWS NI successfully retained the unique medical services it offers eligible veterans in Northern Ireland, whilst expanding the provision of guidance, information and support to all service personnel transitioning into civilian life, veterans, their families and the bereaved across Northern Ireland. This includes physiotherapy and psychological therapies for eligible veterans. VWS NI's Welfare Managers - many of whom previously worked in the Aftercare Service - work exceptionally hard to build a good rapport with clients, and this is demonstrated by the consistently positive feedback the service receives at every level.

In addition, the £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot, which supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland, provides timely assistance and guidance to veterans who require healthcare. This is achieved by linking veterans with local services to ensure they are receiving the help available; advising on physical health issues such as musculoskeletal problems, pain management and lifestyle; and providing help with anxiety, depression, PTSD and bereavement. The pilot works closely with VWS NI and is providing valuable insight to improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs locally.