Asked by: Jonathan Gullis (Conservative - Stoke-on-Trent North)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to support veterans and their families in (a) Stoke-on-Trent, (b) Kidsgrove and (c) England.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is absolutely committed to making the United Kingdom the best place to be a veteran anywhere in the world. We have created the Office for Veterans’ Affairs in the Cabinet Office to ensure veteran’s are represented right at the heart of Government.
We have also introduced measures such as discounted railcards; guaranteed interviews to make it easier for veterans to join the Civil Service; creating more Armed Forces champions in the Department for Work and Pensions; introducing a national insurance holiday to encourage employers to maximise the talents of veterans in our workforce; improved access to housing; making it easier for veterans to access physical and mental healthcare support for veterans in the NHS, as well as introducing to legislation to ensure veterans are not subject to unfair historic investigations and further strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant in law.
Specifically in Stoke on Trent, Veterans UK works very closely with the Veterans Support Centre, which is located in Newcastle Under Lyme and has supported over 18,000 people since the centre opened in 2015.