Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps his Department has taken to support the mental health needs of veterans in Northern Ireland.

This Government is committed to ensuring that veterans can access the appropriate support wherever they live in the UK. We recently announced VALOUR, a new commitment to establish the first-ever UK-wide approach to veteran support to ensure easier access to essential care and support for veterans. This regional approach, based on a network of VALOUR support centres providing multiple services in one place, together with regional field officers coordinating the provision of local services, will ensure that services are designed to meet the needs of local communities.

Specialist statutory support for veterans who reside in Northern Ireland is delivered by the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) to ensure effective and enduring support is available. In April, the VWS NI renewed and expanded its unique medical contracts, providing psychological therapies and physiotherapy to eligible veterans, namely those with conditions attributable to their service.

Veterans who are resident in Northern Ireland can also access a range of UK-wide support, while Government funding via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust supports the Thrive Together Programme, which operates across the UK.