Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of employment preparedness and support programmes offered to military personnel prior to and immediately post-service.
Answered by Johnny Mercer
The Ministry of Defence provides comprehensive resettlement support for people leaving the Armed Forces to help them make the transition to civilian life.
The long-established Career Transition Partnership (CTP) provides guidance to Service leavers in their transition from military to civilian life through a range of career and employment support services including skills development workshops, seminars, resettlement training advice, vocational training courses, career consultancy, one-to-one sessions and job finding support. A bespoke service is provided for the most vulnerable leavers through the CTP resettlement pathway.?This function is called CTP Assist and delivers an individualised, needs-based service to those?Service personnel who face the greatest barriers to employment as a consequence of their medical conditions.?This comprehensive employment support is made available to all Service personnel subject to medical discharge in order to maximise their?successful transition to civilian life.?All military personnel can access CTP two years before leaving and within two years of leaving; beyond that point they can access The Forces Employment Charity (RFEA) which provides support for life.
Statistics on the estimated employment outcomes for ex-Service personnel who used the services provided by CTP can be accessed at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/career-transition-partnership-ex-service-personnel-employment-outcomes-statistics-index. Of the 2018-19 UK Regular Service leavers who used a billable CTP service and reported their employment outcomes six months after leaving service, 86 per cent were employed.
As part of the ten-year vision articulated in the Strategy for our Veterans, in October 2019 the Ministry of Defence introduced a ‘Defence Holistic Transition’ policy, which brings together a wide range of support for Service leavers and their families in their transition to civilian life including help with life's basic needs such as registering with a doctor or a dentist, or much more intensive help for those with complex needs (including housing, budgeting, debt, wellbeing and children’s education). ‘Defence Transition Services’ (DTS) was established at the same time, to support those Service leavers who face the greatest challenges to making a successful transition to civilian life, including those who are medically discharged. The full-spectrum service is available to all Service leavers exiting the Armed Forces and is based on the needs of the individual, providing the specific support they may need and interventions to ensure issues are resolved. This support extends for two years after discharge and longer if necessary.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2017 to Question 64013, on armed forces: deployment, what the legal basis was for UK involvement in US airstrikes against (a) Junaid Hussain and (b) Mohammed Emwazi.
Answered by Mike Penning
Junaid Hussain and Mohammed Emwazi were members of Daesh. The UK has been working as part of a Coalition since September 2014 which was invited by the Iraqi Prime Minister to defeat Daesh, on the legal basis of the collective self-defence of Iraq. This was confirmed by the UK Permanent Representative to the UN in a letter dated 25 November 2014 to the UN Secretary-General and the President of the Security Council indicating that the UK is taking measures "to enable Iraqi forces to regain control of the borders of Iraq by striking ISIL [Daesh] sites and military strongholds in Syria".
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Written Statement of 18 April 2016, HCWS 678, on Armed Forces update, when he will provide the House with the annual update on embedded personnel for the year 2016.
Answered by Mike Penning
The written statement, 'UK Embedded Forces', of 17 December 2015 (HCWS431) informed the House that future updates would be published annually through the Ministry of Defence's annual report and accounts (ARAC). Page 28 of the linked report for financial year (FY) 2015-16 refers:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/558559/MoD_AR16.pdf .
Figures for FY 2016-17 will be published via the 2016-17 ARAC later this year.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Government's response to the Defence Committee on UK military operations in Syria and Iraq, published on 9 March 2017, HC 1065, whether the UK has conducted airstrikes against the leadership of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.
Answered by Mike Penning
The UK has not conducted any airstrikes against Jabhat Fatah al-Shams.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2017 to Question 64012, how many UK personnel are assigned to US Africa Command; at what bases they are stationed; and what roles they undertake.
Answered by Mike Penning
The UK currently has eight posts established within US Africa Command (Stuttgart) and its subordinate command Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA) (Djibouti):
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Answer of 3 July 2014 to Question 202477, whether all deployments of US military personnel from (a) RAF Menwith Hill, (b) RAF Croughton and (c) RAF Molesworth are carried out with the full knowledge and consent of the Government.
Answered by Mike Penning
The deployment of US military personnel from the United States Visiting Forces bases at RAF Menwith Hill, RAF Croughton and RAF Molesworth is a matter for the US military authorities; there is no requirement for the Ministry of Defence to be notified of such deployments.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of permitting veterans in receipt of benefits under the War Pension Scheme, as a result of injuries received in service prior to 2005, to transfer to the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The War Pensions Scheme (WPS) and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) are two entirely separate schemes. The WPS provides no fault compensation to former Service personnel and their dependants for injuries and death as a result of service before 6 April 2005. The AFCS provides compensation for injury, illness or death caused by service in the UK Armed Forces on or after 6 April 2005. It is therefore not possible for a veteran in receipt of benefits under the WPS to transfer to the AFCS for injuries caused in service prior to 2005.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Iraq Historic Allegations Team will prosecute current and former members of the armed forces under the legal system in the constituent part of the UK in which they currently reside.
Answered by Mike Penning
Iraq Historic Allegations Team (IHAT) investigations are conducted under the statutory framework of the Armed Forces Act 2006, which applies uniformly throughout the United Kingdom. Any decision to prosecute rests with the Director of Service Prosecutions.
Asked by: Kirsten Oswald (Scottish National Party - East Renfrewshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the current or former members of the armed forces resident in Scotland who are being investigated by the Iraq Historic Allegations Team in respect of alleged criminal actions have access to legal advice and support.
Answered by Mike Penning
There is a comprehensive package of support available to all Service personnel and veterans subject to Iraq Historical Allegations Team investigations. This includes legal support which is normally provided through the Armed Forces Legal Aid Scheme. It was announced last year that the Ministry of Defence will not recover any costs of such support from individuals in any cases relating to their service in Iraq and Afghanistan.