Asked by: Emma Foody (Labour (Co-op) - Cramlington and Killingworth)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to support veterans in Cramlington and Killingworth constituency transition back into civilian life.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
I am working across Government and with civil society to help those who leave the Armed Forces, including those in Cramlington and Killingworth, transition back into civilian life.
Currently the Defence Holistic Transition Policy (JSP100) sets out how the Ministry of Defence supports Service leavers to assist in a successful transition, including through the Career Transition Partnership, Veterans Welfare Service (VWS), Defence Transition Services (DTS) and Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V).
Asked by: Lord Rennard (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential cost savings over the next decade from (1) scrapping compulsory photo ID at polling stations, and (2) including forms of ID acceptable for the purposes of collecting a parcel at a Post Office and official polling cards in the list of forms of ID that may be used to confirm eligibility to vote.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
As our manifesto made clear, the government will address the inconsistencies in voter identification that prevent legitimate electors from voting, specifically including veterans of HM Armed Forces. We are considering what changes we wish to make in order to achieve this and will bring forward proposals in due course.
The Electoral Commission is the independent electoral regulator and will be reporting on the administration of the May local elections and the recent General Election. We anticipate publication of their initial findings on voter ID in September, with their full election report expected later in the year. We are keen to see their findings and recommendations.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to reduce veteran homelessness.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The level of homelessness, including for our veterans, is too high.
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is working across Government to ensure veterans have access to the support they need on housing, as well as mental health, employment and other areas.
The Government will develop a new cross-Government strategy, working with Mayors and Councils across the country, to put Britain back on track to ending homelessness. The MOD will work with other departments to take a long term approach and to tackle the root causes of homelessness.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve support for veterans in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who have served our country. I am leading work across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need, across the whole of the United Kingdom.
In Northern Ireland, the Veterans Welfare Service provides information and practical support to veterans and their families, including timely physiotherapy and psychological therapies to eligible veterans. The Defence Medical Welfare Service pilot supports veterans’ health and wellbeing in Northern Ireland and provides insight that will improve our understanding of veterans’ health needs. Veterans in need of housing advice can contact the Government's single housing support pathway, Op FORTITUDE, where a dedicated team of advisers work to assist veterans across the UK.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to improve support for female veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am leading work across Government and with Civil Society to look at the best ways to ensure all veterans, including women veterans, and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to tackle the (a) risks and (b) challenges arising from their service that military personnel can face to their mental health.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Ensuring veterans have access to the mental heath support they need is a priority for this Government. I am leading work across Government and with Civil Society to look at the best ways to ensure veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need
The MOD delivers a number of existing initiatives that firstly aim to prevent mental ill-health through adopting healthy practices and awareness training, and subsequently to provide support to those who may be struggling.
For those personnel requiring medical intervention the Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service, through its mental health clinical professionals who have extensive experience in treatment of mental health problems and psychological injury.
In addition to the specialist diagnosis and treatment, there is a range of other options for mental health support for Service Personnel including on-demand digital resources, and in-person welfare establishments. Pre and post deployment briefing is provided to all personnel (whether Regular or mobilised Reservists) to ensure that the availability of support is highlighted at times when stressors may be heightened.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what funding he plans to provide to support the Veterans Welfare Service in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Veterans Welfare Service (Northern Ireland) became the responsibility of Defence Business Services on 1 April 2023. Budgets are allocated within Defence Business Services at the delivery of veterans' services level, and it is not normally possible to break this information down to individual services. As part of the transfer of responsibility, funding of £805,000 for Financial Year 2024-25 was transferred to Defence Business Services to cover the pay and ongoing contract costs of the Veterans Welfare Service (Northern Ireland).
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will fund further research relating to suicide amongst (a) serving personnel and (b) veterans.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
As the responsible Minister for leading the work on the mental health of all our serving and former Serving personnel, I take this matter extremely seriously.
The Ministry of Defence continues to monitor the long-term impact of operational deployments. A study mapping the mortality rates and causes of death, including suicide, of military personnel who served since 2001, including those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, is underway. The focus of this study is to understand the long-term impact of military service. It will compare findings with the general population.
The Defence Suicide Register has also been launched. This is an ongoing Defence-led project to provide an evidence-base specific to Serving personnel by better understanding circumstances surrounding individual deaths. It draws together information from multiple data sources across Defence, enabling internal analysis across organisational boundaries to inform evidence-based prevention, intervention, and postvention activity.
Research suggests that the risk of suicide in our veteran population as a whole is no higher than that in the general population. However, it suggests that certain younger cohorts of veterans may be at a higher risk. The Office for Veterans’ Affairs is working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans have access to the health support they need.
Asked by: Kemi Badenoch (Conservative - North West Essex)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make it her policy to introduce secondary legislation to recognise the Veterans Card as a form of identification in polling stations across (a) Great Britain and (b) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As our manifesto made clear, the Government will address the inconsistencies in voter identification that prevent legitimate electors from voting, specifically including veterans of HM Armed Forces. We are considering what changes we wish to make in order to achieve this and will bring forward proposals in due course.
Electoral policy for Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and a separate regime for voter identification exists there. Any legislation to allow the Veteran’s Card use in Northern Ireland would be provided for in separate legislation.
Asked by: Michael Payne (Labour - Gedling)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he plans to take to support veterans in Gedling constituency.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This is a Government of service that will always stand up for those who serve our country, across the whole of the UK. I am working across Government and with civil society to ensure veterans, including those in Gedling, get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need, and looking at the best way to deliver this support.