Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Veterans' ID card scheme for (a) those who left the Armed Forces before 2018 and (b) other veterans.

The Veterans’ Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout. Phase one is complete, with Service leavers receiving a HM Armed Forces Veterans’ Recognition Card as part of the discharge process since December 2018. Phase two will extend the scheme to existing veterans so they can more quickly, easily and securely prove they served in the UK Armed Forces. The Government remains committed to delivering Veterans’ Recognition Cards and will advise of a timescale for the final delivery of phase two when this work is complete

The ID card is just one way to recognise veterans for their service to the UK. The further roll-out of cards will also help services and charities confirm veteran status quickly and effectively.

The Ministry of Defence is confident that the ID cards supplied to veterans effectively fulfil their purpose. In order to measure their effectiveness, the Office for Veterans’ Affairs are conducting a ‘Veteran ID Card Use and Experience’ survey which was launched in October, the results of which will be published in due course.