Oral Answers to Questions

Emma Foody Excerpts

Monday 30th June 2025 Commons Chamber

[Emma Foody (Cramlington and Killingworth) (Lab/Co-op)]

16. What steps he is taking to support veterans.

[Alex Brewer (North East Hampshire) (LD)]

18. What steps he is taking to ensure that veterans receive adequate support after leaving the armed forces.

--- Later in debate ---

[Al Carns]

The armed forces covenant trust fund is one of the mechanisms we use to support the charitable sector, but we must also step back and look holistically at the fact that there are 1,730 armed forces charities in the UK. Op Valour will help to synthesise that, get more bang for buck and ensure that veterans get the right support where and when they need it.

[Emma Foody]

A local charity in my area supporting women veterans was recently working with a woman who was rehomed in general purpose supported accommodation for veterans in Scotland. The accommodation was entirely unsuitable for her as a survivor of sexual violence and led to her being subjected to a further sexual assault by a man who was also housed there. Will the Minister assure me of his work to ensure appropriate support for women veterans?

[Al Carns]

Just last week, I visited several different organisations, one of which was Launchpad in Liverpool, which showed some examples of supported housing for veterans. It is not lost on me that female veterans have different requirements, and we need to do more to support them. We will ensure that that is catered for by having a women’s section as part of our veterans’ strategy.