Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Armed Forces veterans are presently in receipt of funds from the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme came into force on 6 April 2005 to pay compensation for injury, illness or death attributable to Service that occurred on or after that date. It replaced the previous compensation arrangements provided by the War Pensions Scheme and the attributable elements of the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Pensions Scheme. Tax-free lump sum awards are paid to all Service personnel and veterans as compensation for pain and suffering for an injury or illness that is predominantly caused or made worse by Service.
The Scheme also provides a Guaranteed Income Payment (GIP) for more severe injuries or illnesses.
Armed Forces Compensation Scheme statistics for the last financial year are published on Gov.UK and can be found at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/armed-forces-compensation-scheme-statistics-financial-year-201920
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many soldiers have been recruited to the Army Reserves since January 2019.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
Between 1 January 2019 and 30 September 2019 3,300 people joined the Reserves both trained and untrained. This consists of Army Reservists, sponsored Reserves, and those personnel now serving on Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) who were recruited as Army Reservists.
Notes:
Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.
Intake Statistics are published on a quarterly basis by Defence Statistics. These figures are taken from the most recent published figures.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what mental health support armed service personnel currently receive when leaving Her Majesty's Armed Forces.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is absolutely committed to ensuring that both serving personnel and veterans are given the mental health treatment and support they need. We do this by working in close partnership with a variety of different organisations, including the NHS (which is responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans) and Service charities.
Personnel leaving the Armed Forces are provided with a final medical assessment by Defence Medical Services who can refer personnel to sources of civilian welfare support as necessary. Those who have had mental health issues during their service are able to access facilities at their nearest MOD Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) for up to six months after discharge, to help them during the transition period. A Tri-Service Welfare Referral Protocol ensures any Service person discharged with a diagnosed mental health disorder who has given their consent is referred to the MOD's Veterans UK Veteran Welfare Service who can provide ongoing specialist advice, information and support. Where a Service person in England is approaching discharge but has an enduring need for mental healthcare, we work in partnership with NHS England through the Veterans Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service, to ensure continuity of care.
The Government is not complacent about the need to further support our people. As part of the cross-Government 'Strategy for our Veterans' launched in 2018, this year we are also introducing a holistic transition policy. Transition support currently provided by the MOD largely focuses on employment support, delivered by the Career Transition Partnership. This supports 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 guidance and job finding support. However, transition is far wider than finding employment, and relates to the significant life changing processes which affect both the Service person and their immediate family through the entire time they are within or connected to the Armed Forces, through to discharge and beyond. These need to be appropriately addressed to ensure successful transition into civilian life. This will include transition to civilian health care.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many soldiers were recruited to the Army Reserve between January 2018 and May 2019.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Intake for the Army Future Reserve 2020 between 1 January 2018 and 31 March 2019 was 4,310. This figure includes Officers and Soldiers. Further information can be found on gov.uk at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2019
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent by the Aged Veterans Fund in each year from 2016 to 2019.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Aged Veterans Fund, set up in 2015, used available LIBOR funds to support older veterans. It funded projects that supported non-core health, wellbeing, and social care needs for older veterans (born before 1 January 1950), including surviving World War 2 veterans, those who undertook National Service, and other voluntary enlisted veterans.
The table below details the value of funds awarded in the two years the Aged Veterans Fund was open:
Financial Year | Value of Grants Awarded |
2015-16 | £6,608,090 |
2016-17 | £22,792,661 |
Funding was made available for portfolios of projects lasting up to three years, so some projects are still ongoing.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many volunteers were recruited to the Army Reserve between January 2017 and July 2018.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Intake for the Army Future Reserve 2020 between 1 January 2017 and 31 July 2018 was 6,513. Further information can be found on gov.uk at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2018
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people from Northern Ireland were recruited to the army in each of the last three years.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The information requested will take time to collate and I will write to the noble Lord when it is available.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British troops are currently serving at military training academies in Afghanistan.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
As at 17 September 2018, the UK has 146 personnel deployed to the Afghan National Army Officer Academy (ANAOA) where we are supporting the development of the Afghan National Army's future leaders. The UK also has 28 personnel deployed in support of the Afghan Infantry Branch School. The UK's contribution to both ANAOA and the Infantry Branch School is part of the UK's wider contribution to NATO's Resolute Support Mission.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve mental health support for (1) veterans, and (2) serving military personnel.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
The Ministry of Defence is absolutely committed to the mental health of our Service personnel, providing robust training, welfare support and development opportunities. When necessary, we ensure that both serving personnel and veterans are given the mental healthcare and treatment they need. We do this by working in close partnership with a variety of different organisations, including the NHS (which is responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans) and Service charities such as Combat Stress.
Recent initiatives include the Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, launched in July 2017, which covers all Defence people and identifies the need for strong partnerships with the Department of Health, the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations and the charitable sector, and a new operating model focusing on Promote, Prevent, Treat and Detect.
In October 2017, we announced a new partnership with the Royal Foundation, aimed at helping maintain and develop good mental fitness. And on 25 February this year, the Secretary of State for Defence announced that we have built on our existing partnership with Combat Stress to provide a new MOD-funded Military Mental Health Helpline for Serving personnel and their families, providing out-of-hours advice and assistance and running in conjunction with the charity's existing helpline for the veterans' community. We will also be providing an additional £2million of annual funding for military mental health services, on top of the £20million a year we already spend.
Mental health services are already provided for serving personnel through a network of 20 permanent locations, comprising 11 Departments of Community Mental Health (DCMHs); six Mental Health Teams (MHTs); and three locations with a permanent Community Mental Health Nurse. These support the provision of healthcare that is available through Service primary care facilities. In-patient care is provided in dedicated psychiatric units through a central contract MOD has with a partnership of eight NHS Trusts.
Personnel leaving the Armed Forces who have had mental health issues during their Service are eligible to access services at a local DCMH for up to six months after discharge, to help them during the transition period. A Veterans' Transition Protocol ensures any Service person discharged with a diagnosed mental health disorder is handed over appropriately to the NHS in England.
Where a Service person leaving the Armed Forces has an enduring need for mental healthcare, we work in partnership with NHS England through the Veterans Mental Health Transition, Intervention and Liaison Service (VMH-TILS), to ensure continuity of care. The VMH-TILS service provides a range of treatment and support for veterans, as well as Armed Forces personnel approaching discharge. It will arrange for veterans to be referred if necessary to the NHS England Veterans' Mental Health Complex Treatment Service (VMH-CTS) which launches on 1 April 2018.
Other services available from MOD to veterans include the Veterans and Reserves Mental Health Programme (VRMHP), for veterans that have served since 1982 and Reservists with operational service overseas since 2003 (provided through the DCMHs), and the Veterans UK and Veterans Welfare Service.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures are in place for members of the armed forces who present with learning difficulties.
Answered by Earl Howe - Deputy Leader of the House of Lords
Defence recognises four Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD), comprising dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and scotopic sensitivity syndrome.
Individuals affected by SpLD are eligible for specific support which may include reasonable adjustments to training and working environments. SpLD is recognised as being an issue that is principally and proactively managed by the individual, supported where necessary by their Chain of Command and not a condition which should draw undue attention, impractical or unmanageable special measures or stigma.
Defence direction on SpLD is accessible at unit level through Joint Service Publication (JSP) 822 'Defence direction and guidance for training and education' (part 1, section 6.1 refers). In addition, the single Services have trained SpLD advisors who can offer advice, guidance and a range of strategies to help individuals get the support they need.