Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions his Department has had on the potential implications of Section 75 of the Belfast Agreement for (a) identifying and (b) supporting veterans in Northern Ireland; and whether he is taking steps to (i) ensure parity of care with veterans in Great Britain and (ii) adhere to the Agreement.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access appropriate support wherever they live in the UK and is working to coordinate and cohere the range of support available, including in Northern Ireland, more effectively.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome David Johnstone to his new role as Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner. David will play a crucial role in supporting veterans across Northern Ireland. I look forward to working with him, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, other Government Departments and across society to ensure veterans and their families in Northern Ireland receive the best possible support.
The Armed Forces Covenant continues to be a key Government priority, with a commitment to fully implement the Covenant in law. The Armed Forces Covenant ensures that the Armed Forces community is treated fairly across the UK, although its delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. We are making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken, and the new Duty will apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Extensive engagement has taken place on the new Covenant duty with a range of stakeholders, including the Devolved Governments, with whom the UK Government will continue to work proactively on tailored approaches.
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), a charity and Non-Departmental Public Body of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), supports the Thrive Together programme. In Northern Ireland, this is led by the charity Brooke House and brings together a range of local service providers to establish sustainable and resilient networks that ensure veterans and their families receive prompt, effective and tailored support in Northern Ireland. The initiative builds on the first iteration of the AFCFT’s Veterans’ Places, Pathways and People programme and the ongoing work of the 11 Veterans’ Champions in councils across Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister recently announced an additional £3.5 million funding to continue the UK-wide Reducing Veteran Homelessness (RVH) Programme, which includes Op FORTITUDE, a Government-backed centralised referral pathway designed to support veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In March 2024, Beyond the Battlefield were awarded £100,000 by the RVH programme to provide services for veterans in Northern Ireland who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
A range of cross-Government employment support is also available to veterans and their families after their time in service. This includes the Ministry of Defence (MOD)-hosted Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of resettlement provision for veterans leaving military service, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving service. In addition, a government-backed veterans’ sector-based employment scheme supports veterans to access employment opportunities across the UK, including enabling access to qualifications and training, to veterans and their families at any stage in their lives after leaving service.
The Office for Veterans Affairs’ (OVA) in the MOD has recently established a presence in Northern Ireland to support strategic coordination of organisations, programmes and initiatives for veterans’ wellbeing. The OVA works closely and routinely with the Northern Ireland Office, the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) and the Office of the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner to ensure alignment of effort where possible and as appropriate.
The Veterans’ Support Office (VSO) played a role in coordinating and signposting to statutory and charity provision. It closed in June 2024 as the way support for veterans is provided in Northern Ireland continues to evolve. Veteran support services have continued, including those grant-funded posts and projects previously facilitated by the VSO.
MOD representatives from the OVA and VWS NI additionally co-chair the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Committee, a voluntary coalition of organisations that specialise in delivering support services to veterans and their families in Northern Ireland, and the quarterly NI Veterans’ Champion Committee. There are now Veterans’ Champions in all eleven local authorities. Both committees help further situational awareness, facilitate better coordination of effort, and provide an effective pool of subject matter expertise to drive continuous improvement in service delivery for veterans in Northern Ireland.
VWS NI is a trusted statutory provider of specialist and holistic support for service leavers, veterans, their families and the bereaved in Northern Ireland. Following the merger in April 2023 of the UDR and R IRISH Home Service Aftercare Service with Defence Business Services, VWS NI successfully retained the unique medical services it offers eligible veterans in Northern Ireland, whilst expanding the provision of guidance, information and support to all service personnel transitioning into civilian life, veterans, their families and the bereaved across Northern Ireland. This includes physiotherapy and psychological therapies for eligible veterans. VWS NI's Welfare Managers - many of whom previously worked in the Aftercare Service - work exceptionally hard to build a good rapport with clients, and this is demonstrated by the consistently positive feedback the service receives at every level.
In addition, the £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot, which supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland, provides timely assistance and guidance to veterans who require healthcare. This is achieved by linking veterans with local services to ensure they are receiving the help available; advising on physical health issues such as musculoskeletal problems, pain management and lifestyle; and providing help with anxiety, depression, PTSD and bereavement. The pilot works closely with VWS NI and is providing valuable insight to improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs locally.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of disparities in healthcare waiting times for veterans in Northern Ireland compared to those in Great Britain; and what steps he plans to take to help ensure timely access to critical care for veterans in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access appropriate support wherever they live in the UK and is working to coordinate and cohere the range of support available, including in Northern Ireland, more effectively.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome David Johnstone to his new role as Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner. David will play a crucial role in supporting veterans across Northern Ireland. I look forward to working with him, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, other Government Departments and across society to ensure veterans and their families in Northern Ireland receive the best possible support.
The Armed Forces Covenant continues to be a key Government priority, with a commitment to fully implement the Covenant in law. The Armed Forces Covenant ensures that the Armed Forces community is treated fairly across the UK, although its delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. We are making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken, and the new Duty will apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Extensive engagement has taken place on the new Covenant duty with a range of stakeholders, including the Devolved Governments, with whom the UK Government will continue to work proactively on tailored approaches.
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), a charity and Non-Departmental Public Body of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), supports the Thrive Together programme. In Northern Ireland, this is led by the charity Brooke House and brings together a range of local service providers to establish sustainable and resilient networks that ensure veterans and their families receive prompt, effective and tailored support in Northern Ireland. The initiative builds on the first iteration of the AFCFT’s Veterans’ Places, Pathways and People programme and the ongoing work of the 11 Veterans’ Champions in councils across Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister recently announced an additional £3.5 million funding to continue the UK-wide Reducing Veteran Homelessness (RVH) Programme, which includes Op FORTITUDE, a Government-backed centralised referral pathway designed to support veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In March 2024, Beyond the Battlefield were awarded £100,000 by the RVH programme to provide services for veterans in Northern Ireland who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
A range of cross-Government employment support is also available to veterans and their families after their time in service. This includes the Ministry of Defence (MOD)-hosted Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of resettlement provision for veterans leaving military service, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving service. In addition, a government-backed veterans’ sector-based employment scheme supports veterans to access employment opportunities across the UK, including enabling access to qualifications and training, to veterans and their families at any stage in their lives after leaving service.
The Office for Veterans Affairs’ (OVA) in the MOD has recently established a presence in Northern Ireland to support strategic coordination of organisations, programmes and initiatives for veterans’ wellbeing. The OVA works closely and routinely with the Northern Ireland Office, the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) and the Office of the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner to ensure alignment of effort where possible and as appropriate.
The Veterans’ Support Office (VSO) played a role in coordinating and signposting to statutory and charity provision. It closed in June 2024 as the way support for veterans is provided in Northern Ireland continues to evolve. Veteran support services have continued, including those grant-funded posts and projects previously facilitated by the VSO.
MOD representatives from the OVA and VWS NI additionally co-chair the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Committee, a voluntary coalition of organisations that specialise in delivering support services to veterans and their families in Northern Ireland, and the quarterly NI Veterans’ Champion Committee. There are now Veterans’ Champions in all eleven local authorities. Both committees help further situational awareness, facilitate better coordination of effort, and provide an effective pool of subject matter expertise to drive continuous improvement in service delivery for veterans in Northern Ireland.
VWS NI is a trusted statutory provider of specialist and holistic support for service leavers, veterans, their families and the bereaved in Northern Ireland. Following the merger in April 2023 of the UDR and R IRISH Home Service Aftercare Service with Defence Business Services, VWS NI successfully retained the unique medical services it offers eligible veterans in Northern Ireland, whilst expanding the provision of guidance, information and support to all service personnel transitioning into civilian life, veterans, their families and the bereaved across Northern Ireland. This includes physiotherapy and psychological therapies for eligible veterans. VWS NI's Welfare Managers - many of whom previously worked in the Aftercare Service - work exceptionally hard to build a good rapport with clients, and this is demonstrated by the consistently positive feedback the service receives at every level.
In addition, the £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot, which supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland, provides timely assistance and guidance to veterans who require healthcare. This is achieved by linking veterans with local services to ensure they are receiving the help available; advising on physical health issues such as musculoskeletal problems, pain management and lifestyle; and providing help with anxiety, depression, PTSD and bereavement. The pilot works closely with VWS NI and is providing valuable insight to improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs locally.
Asked by: Mark Francois (Conservative - Rayleigh and Wickford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that veterans residing in Northern Ireland receive the same level of support as those in Great Britain (a) in (i) health, (ii) housing, (iii) welfare, (iv) education and (v) employment and (b) generally.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Government is committed to ensuring that veterans are able to access appropriate support wherever they live in the UK and is working to coordinate and cohere the range of support available, including in Northern Ireland, more effectively.
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome David Johnstone to his new role as Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner. David will play a crucial role in supporting veterans across Northern Ireland. I look forward to working with him, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, other Government Departments and across society to ensure veterans and their families in Northern Ireland receive the best possible support.
The Armed Forces Covenant continues to be a key Government priority, with a commitment to fully implement the Covenant in law. The Armed Forces Covenant ensures that the Armed Forces community is treated fairly across the UK, although its delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. We are making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken, and the new Duty will apply in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Extensive engagement has taken place on the new Covenant duty with a range of stakeholders, including the Devolved Governments, with whom the UK Government will continue to work proactively on tailored approaches.
The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust (AFCFT), a charity and Non-Departmental Public Body of the Ministry of Defence (MOD), supports the Thrive Together programme. In Northern Ireland, this is led by the charity Brooke House and brings together a range of local service providers to establish sustainable and resilient networks that ensure veterans and their families receive prompt, effective and tailored support in Northern Ireland. The initiative builds on the first iteration of the AFCFT’s Veterans’ Places, Pathways and People programme and the ongoing work of the 11 Veterans’ Champions in councils across Northern Ireland.
The Prime Minister recently announced an additional £3.5 million funding to continue the UK-wide Reducing Veteran Homelessness (RVH) Programme, which includes Op FORTITUDE, a Government-backed centralised referral pathway designed to support veterans who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. In March 2024, Beyond the Battlefield were awarded £100,000 by the RVH programme to provide services for veterans in Northern Ireland who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
A range of cross-Government employment support is also available to veterans and their families after their time in service. This includes the Ministry of Defence (MOD)-hosted Career Transition Partnership, which is the initial point of resettlement provision for veterans leaving military service, with directly provided support usually available for two years before and two years after leaving service. In addition, a government-backed veterans’ sector-based employment scheme supports veterans to access employment opportunities across the UK, including enabling access to qualifications and training, to veterans and their families at any stage in their lives after leaving service.
The Office for Veterans Affairs’ (OVA) in the MOD has recently established a presence in Northern Ireland to support strategic coordination of organisations, programmes and initiatives for veterans’ wellbeing. The OVA works closely and routinely with the Northern Ireland Office, the Veterans Welfare Service Northern Ireland (VWS NI) and the Office of the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Commissioner to ensure alignment of effort where possible and as appropriate.
The Veterans’ Support Office (VSO) played a role in coordinating and signposting to statutory and charity provision. It closed in June 2024 as the way support for veterans is provided in Northern Ireland continues to evolve. Veteran support services have continued, including those grant-funded posts and projects previously facilitated by the VSO.
MOD representatives from the OVA and VWS NI additionally co-chair the Northern Ireland Veterans’ Support Committee, a voluntary coalition of organisations that specialise in delivering support services to veterans and their families in Northern Ireland, and the quarterly NI Veterans’ Champion Committee. There are now Veterans’ Champions in all eleven local authorities. Both committees help further situational awareness, facilitate better coordination of effort, and provide an effective pool of subject matter expertise to drive continuous improvement in service delivery for veterans in Northern Ireland.
VWS NI is a trusted statutory provider of specialist and holistic support for service leavers, veterans, their families and the bereaved in Northern Ireland. Following the merger in April 2023 of the UDR and R IRISH Home Service Aftercare Service with Defence Business Services, VWS NI successfully retained the unique medical services it offers eligible veterans in Northern Ireland, whilst expanding the provision of guidance, information and support to all service personnel transitioning into civilian life, veterans, their families and the bereaved across Northern Ireland. This includes physiotherapy and psychological therapies for eligible veterans. VWS NI's Welfare Managers - many of whom previously worked in the Aftercare Service - work exceptionally hard to build a good rapport with clients, and this is demonstrated by the consistently positive feedback the service receives at every level.
In addition, the £500,000 Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot, which supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland, provides timely assistance and guidance to veterans who require healthcare. This is achieved by linking veterans with local services to ensure they are receiving the help available; advising on physical health issues such as musculoskeletal problems, pain management and lifestyle; and providing help with anxiety, depression, PTSD and bereavement. The pilot works closely with VWS NI and is providing valuable insight to improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs locally.
Asked by: Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much revenue has been generated from charging Irish operators using the red lane through Northern Ireland ports, as set out in paragraph 132 of the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper (CP1021).
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to ensuring the smooth flow of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Charging arrangements for Irish operators using the red lane are not currently in place, the new Government are looking into this matter and will provide an update in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what instructions, if any, they have issued to (1) environmental health officers, and (2) other relevant officers, as to the future charging for port inspections on goods coming from Great Britain to Northern Ireland (a) in general, and (b) when the goods fail the inspection.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
On 31 January 2024, the Government published the Safeguarding the Union Command Paper. It set out proposals for a new UK internal market system, ensuring a permanent, smooth flow of goods within the UK’s internal market.
Under this new system, there will be no checks on goods moving within the UK internal market system. Checks will only be conducted as part of a risk or intelligence-led approach to tackle issues like criminality, abuse of the system, smuggling and disease risks.
Following the agreement of the Windsor Framework, the Border Target Operating Model sets out new arrangements for Irish goods and non-qualifying goods moving directly from the island of Ireland to GB from 31 January 2024. Physical checks on goods arriving at West Coast ports will not begin before Spring 2025.
We will begin phasing in checks and controls for non-qualifying goods moving from the island of Ireland, while ensuring that Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods continue to have unfettered access to the GB market, whether those goods are moving directly from Northern Ireland to Great Britain or moving to Great Britain from Northern Ireland via Ireland.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to deliver unfettered access for goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, and to remove the Irish Sea border, custom, and sanitary and phytosanitary checks, under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Lainston
Following the agreement of the Windsor Framework, the Border Target Operating Model sets out that we will begin phasing in checks and controls for Irish goods and non-qualifying goods moving from the island of Ireland to Great Britian from 31 January 2024.
With this approach, the Government fully preserves its longstanding commitments to ensure Northern Ireland’s businesses have full unconditional and unfettered access to their most important market in Great Britain.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the geographical boundary at which Regulation (EU) 2017/625 and the associated EU acquis take effect so that food and agricultural products in Northern Ireland comply with that regulation.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
A range of regulations apply to goods in Northern Ireland: EU regulations only apply to the extent set out in the Windsor Framework, varying dependent on whether the goods were produced in Northern Ireland or how the goods were moved from Great Britain. Where goods are moved under the new, more facilitative green lane and are destined for Northern Ireland; they will face no certification requirements, reduced checks and can be produced to UK public health and consumer protection standards. Goods moved through the red lane, on the other hand, will face full EU Official Control requirements including needing to comply with all EU animal, plant and public health regulations. To allow access to the NI, GB and EU markets, Northern Irish food and agricultural products will be produced to EU standards.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an estimate of the cost of border control posts her Department plans to erect to inspect goods coming from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We have committed to providing unfettered access for Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods to the Great Britain market and have enshrined these protections in law. This means Qualifying Northern Ireland goods, except for a small subset such as those subject to international obligations, will face no new checks and controls. We made clear in the draft Border Target Operating Model that Irish goods will be subject to checks when moving directly from Ireland to Great Britain. The Government is rightly engaging with the Welsh and Scottish Governments to ensure appropriate infrastructure is in place on the west coast to support these movements.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what exemptions from inspections at control posts proposed in the draft Border Target Operating Model she plans for goods moving from Northern Ireland to Great Britain; and what information will be required from Northern Ireland firms to qualify for such exemptions.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The UK Government remains committed to ensuring unfettered access for Northern Ireland traders to the Great Britain market. These arrangements will be enshrined and further strengthened in domestic legislation, avoiding burdens for Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods on both direct Northern Ireland-Great Britain and indirect Northern Ireland-Ireland-Great Britain routes. Except for a small subset of goods such as those subject to international obligations, this means they will face no new checks and controls, as has been the case since January 2021. The draft Border Target Operating Model makes clear that Ireland/EU goods will face new checks and controls when moving from Irish ports directly to Great Britain.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how may border posts her Department plans to erect to inspect movements of goods from Northern Ireland to Great Britain.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We have committed to providing unfettered access for Qualifying Northern Ireland Goods to the Great Britain market and have enshrined these protections in law. This means Qualifying Northern Ireland goods, except for a small subset such as those subject to international obligations, will face no new checks and controls. We made clear in the draft Border Target Operating Model that Irish goods will be subject to checks when moving directly from Ireland to Great Britain. The Government is rightly engaging with the Welsh and Scottish Governments to ensure appropriate infrastructure is in place on the west coast to support these movements.