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.

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.