Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of living LGBT veterans dismissed from the Armed Forces before 1967 who are excluded from the reparations recommended by the LGBT Veterans Independent Review; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the scope of the reparations to include those veterans.

The Government recognises the profound impact that historic criminal and Service law had on LGBT veterans and is committed to ensuring fairness and inclusivity in its restorative measures. While the current scope of the LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme (FRS) is based on the recommendations of the LGBT Veterans Independent Review, the Government acknowledges the concerns raised regarding veterans dismissed before 1967.

We therefore extended four restorative measures to those who served before 1967. They can apply to have administrative discharges qualified, their rank restored, Certificates of Service re-issued, and former Officers may apply to have Service details published in The Gazette, as part of the official record.

At present, the Government has not conducted, nor does it have plans to conduct, a formal assessment of the potential merits of extending the FRS to include veterans dismissed or discharged before 1967. This is because the Scheme was set up specifically to respond to the period when Service law was different to civilian law. We do not know how many living veterans were dismissed or discharged from the Armed Forces because of their sexual orientation or gender identity before 1967.

The forthcoming Veterans Strategy will set out this government’s vision for the remarkable men and women that have served in this country’s Armed Forces. Through this new strategy, we will ensure all veterans’– including LGBT – service is celebrated, their potential to make further contributions is realised and, for those that need it, that the right support is available to them.