Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of homelessness among armed forces veterans; and what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help prevent veterans from becoming homeless after leaving the military.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
This is a Government that will always stand up for those who serve our country. I am working across Government to ensure veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing, as well as health, employment and other areas.
In November 2024 the Prime Minister announced an additional £3.5 million for the cross-UK Reducing Veterans Homelessness Programme, including Op FORTITUDE. This is in addition to the reforms which mean that veterans are now exempt from local connection and residency tests when applying for social housing in England.
This Government has removed local connection requirements for veterans applying for social housing, ensuring that those who have served our nation can access housing where they choose to.
We are taking a cross-Government approach to tackling homelessness more broadly, developing a strategy alongside Mayors and Councils across the country, to put Britain back on track to ending homelessness. I attend the regular meetings chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister to represent veterans in the formulation of this strategy.
Finally, the Defence Housing Strategy will turbocharge the development of surplus military land, supporting the delivery of affordable homes for families across Britain as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
Through these measures, the Government is ensuring that homes will be there for heroes.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of awarding the (a) Op Herrick Operational Service Medal and (b) Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan) to (i) personnel of the 908 Labour Support Unit RLC and (ii) other Afghan locally employed civilians.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
Under the qualifying criterion for the Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan and the Civilian Service Medal (Afghanistan), locally employed civilians working for the 908 Labour Support Unit, and other Afghan locally employed civilians, are not eligible for either Medal.
Whilst we value greatly the support provided by locally employed civilians, the long-established position is that local nationals are not eligible for UK medallic recognition, and the Ministry of Defence has no plans to recommend that this position is reviewed.
Asked by: Alberto Costa (Conservative - South Leicestershire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the recruitment process for people who wish to join the armed forces.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The single Services continue to deliver improvements to recruiting practices to ensure they recruit sufficient numbers of personnel to meet the Defence need, and to make the candidate experience as efficient as possible. These improvements include the increased use of virtual application and selection techniques, balanced with opportunities for face-to-face recruiting events. This blended approach ensures the opportunities afforded by a career in the Armed Forces are accessible by people from as diverse a set of backgrounds as possible.
Concurrently, work is ongoing to enable, from April 2025, the Armed Forces Recruiting Programme to deliver a world class tri-Service recruiting experience that places the candidate at the heart of the future operation. It will inspire, motivate and develop candidates whilst meeting the needs of the single Services and wider Defence.