Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Armed Forces support posts there are in each Jobcentre Plus district.

The Department for Work and Pensions secured funding of around £5 million in the Chancellor’s September 2019 Spending Round to bolster the role of its Armed Forces Champions. This additional funding means the Department will be able to fund dedicated, full time champion posts for this important work. It will also help to provide a consistent service supporting veterans, serving personnel and their families across the country. Deployment into these posts has been delayed due to the ongoing response to the Coronavirus pandemic; however, we remain committed to the posts.

We currently have part-time Armed Forces Champions in place in 36 of the 37 Jobcentre Plus Districts. One district is currently without a champion but recruitment is under way to fill that post.

All the Department’s work coaches provide tailored and personalised support to members of the Armed Forces Community, working in partnership with their district Armed Forces Champion where necessary. In those areas where there are particularly high levels of demand, for example, garrison towns, this will form a significant part of the work done in individual Jobcentres.