Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the document entitled New Decade, New Approach, published on January 2020, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on creation of a Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland.

We have regular discussions about areas of mutual interest with colleagues across Government, including the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The UK Government's commitment in the 'New Decade, New Approach' (NDNA) Agreement to create a Northern Ireland Veterans' Commissioner is an important one. It builds on the UK Government's establishment in 2019 of the Office for Veterans' Affairs to provide lifelong support to ex-military personnel. Officials in Defence, the Office for Veterans Affairs, and the Northern Ireland Office are engaging to ensure effective implementation of the UK Government's commitments relating to veterans within the NDNA, and both I, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, will be monitoring the progress of that work closely.