Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the effective implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in Northern Ireland; and whether he plans to take steps to improve access to veteran support services in the UK.

The Government has committed to extending the Covenant Legal Duty to cover UK Government Departments and the Devolved Governments, including Northern Ireland. We anticipate that the Duty extension will increase awareness of the Covenant, drive further improvements for the Armed Forces community, and help mitigate and tackle disadvantage.

The Government has announced VALOUR, a new programme to establish the first ever UK-wide approach to veteran support services. A network of new regional field officers will work with local organisations to coordinate local delivery and ensure that services are designed to meet the needs of their local communities. The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR will be designed in collaboration with these local partners and others, with further details to be announced in due course.

In Northern Ireland, veterans can access holistic support from the Veterans' Welfare Service Northern Ireland which provides a range of information and practical support to both veterans and their families. This includes access to timely physiotherapy and psychological therapies to eligible veterans. Veterans in Northern Ireland who are homeless or at risk of homelessness can also access the UK Government's single housing support pathway, Op FORTITUDE.

Funding has also been made available via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust to support the health and wellbeing of veterans in Northern Ireland, including via the Thrive Together programme and Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot.