Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the level of poverty among veterans.

This Government is committed to supporting all households, including veterans, with the cost of living.

Veterans who are particularly vulnerable to increased living costs are likely to be eligible for targeted cost of living support payments, including the £150 disability cost of living payment, in addition to accessing targeted welfare and cost of living support, including the Energy Price Guarantee.

For the first time, a veteran marker has been included in the national Census which will transform our understanding of employment, finance, housing and other related priorities among veterans and their families.

We are also taking action to further support veterans, their families and communities across the UK. This includes Op FORTITUDE, the dedicated referral scheme for veterans facing homelessness and rough sleeping, which is part of a broader £8.55 million of funding for specialist help and wrap-around support for veterans in more than 900 supported housing units; the £20 million Veterans Capital Housing Fund, supporting projects which contribute towards extra housing for veterans through new builds and refurbishment of existing social and charitable housing; the £700,000 Veterans Career Development Fund, supporting projects which enable access for veterans and their families to qualifications and training to secure, sustainable, valuable employment; and an Independent Review of HMG Welfare Services for Veterans.