Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Department has assessed the proportion of medically discharged personnel who report feeling unprepared for civilian life.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Medical discharge process policy is delegated to the three Services to afford each of them the necessary flexibility to respond effectively to the unique and varying environments in which their people serve. However, Defence’s Tri-Service policy for medical discharge boards aligns the Services in terms of procedure and consistency of process. The board can recommend a medical category that may lead to a Service Person’s discharge from the Armed Forces.
Defence recognises the need to develop a Tri-Service Occupational Health Service to simplify policy and process, improve patient experience and support the retention of Armed Forces personnel. Work is underway to review timelines for referral to medical boards to ensure consistency across the single Services.
Our comprehensive policies and procedures facilitate a smooth discharge process, providing a timeline of actions to be taken from nine months before leaving. These actions include arranging a final medical and dental examination, meeting with a resettlement officer, submitting pension forms, and ensuring personal records are accurate. The process also includes returning Service property and identifications, taking terminal leave, and receiving a Service leavers' pack. Support is also offered through the Career Transition Partnership and Defence Transition Services (DTS), which provide help with employment, housing, health, and other aspects of transitioning to civilian life.
Defence also has a comprehensive policy in place for managing personnel who are wounded, injured, or sick, which includes coordinated support for those medically discharged. Medical discharges follow a specific process involving a medical board review, and personnel may be eligible for compensation. Before personnel leave, they are provided with a final case conference to ensure their issues are resolved or a plan is in place to manage them.
Whilst Defence has not assessed the proportion of medically discharged personnel who report feeling unprepared for civilian life, all are automatically referred to DTS or the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS). Service leavers, veterans, and their families can access support, help and information with issues that may endure beyond discharge irrespective of their reason for discharge. Healthcare support is tailored to their needs and preferences, ranging from simple transitional needs to enduring support for more complex challenges.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what procedures are in place to ensure an effective handover of medical records from Defence Medical Services to the NHS for personnel that are medically discharged.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) recognises the importance of facilitating the transfer of healthcare information to civilian healthcare provider(s) when an individual leaves the Armed Forces,.
Personnel are advised to register with an NHS GP one to three months before discharge. On leaving Defence Medical Services (DMS) care, Service personnel are provided with a medical care summary, known as an FMed133, and advised to provide a copy of their FMed 133 to their NHS GP. If a patient’s full DMS health record is required, this is provided on request from their NHS GP.
To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards the greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs and expects to implement changes over the next one-two years.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure consistency in the medical discharge process across the Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Medical discharge process policy is delegated to the three Services to afford each of them the necessary flexibility to respond effectively to the unique and varying environments in which their people serve. However, Defence’s Tri-Service policy for medical discharge boards aligns the Services in terms of procedure and consistency of process. The board can recommend a medical category that may lead to a Service Person’s discharge from the Armed Forces.
Defence recognises the need to develop a Tri-Service Occupational Health Service to simplify policy and process, improve patient experience and support the retention of Armed Forces personnel. Work is underway to review timelines for referral to medical boards to ensure consistency across the single Services.
Our comprehensive policies and procedures facilitate a smooth discharge process, providing a timeline of actions to be taken from nine months before leaving. These actions include arranging a final medical and dental examination, meeting with a resettlement officer, submitting pension forms, and ensuring personal records are accurate. The process also includes returning Service property and identifications, taking terminal leave, and receiving a Service leavers' pack. Support is also offered through the Career Transition Partnership and Defence Transition Services (DTS), which provide help with employment, housing, health, and other aspects of transitioning to civilian life.
Defence also has a comprehensive policy in place for managing personnel who are wounded, injured, or sick, which includes coordinated support for those medically discharged. Medical discharges follow a specific process involving a medical board review, and personnel may be eligible for compensation. Before personnel leave, they are provided with a final case conference to ensure their issues are resolved or a plan is in place to manage them.
Whilst Defence has not assessed the proportion of medically discharged personnel who report feeling unprepared for civilian life, all are automatically referred to DTS or the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS). Service leavers, veterans, and their families can access support, help and information with issues that may endure beyond discharge irrespective of their reason for discharge. Healthcare support is tailored to their needs and preferences, ranging from simple transitional needs to enduring support for more complex challenges.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Department has assessed the potential impact of the medical discharge process on Armed Forces recruitment and retention.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Medical discharge process policy is delegated to the three Services to afford each of them the necessary flexibility to respond effectively to the unique and varying environments in which their people serve. However, Defence’s Tri-Service policy for medical discharge boards aligns the Services in terms of procedure and consistency of process. The board can recommend a medical category that may lead to a Service Person’s discharge from the Armed Forces.
Defence recognises the need to develop a Tri-Service Occupational Health Service to simplify policy and process, improve patient experience and support the retention of Armed Forces personnel. Work is underway to review timelines for referral to medical boards to ensure consistency across the single Services.
Our comprehensive policies and procedures facilitate a smooth discharge process, providing a timeline of actions to be taken from nine months before leaving. These actions include arranging a final medical and dental examination, meeting with a resettlement officer, submitting pension forms, and ensuring personal records are accurate. The process also includes returning Service property and identifications, taking terminal leave, and receiving a Service leavers' pack. Support is also offered through the Career Transition Partnership and Defence Transition Services (DTS), which provide help with employment, housing, health, and other aspects of transitioning to civilian life.
Defence also has a comprehensive policy in place for managing personnel who are wounded, injured, or sick, which includes coordinated support for those medically discharged. Medical discharges follow a specific process involving a medical board review, and personnel may be eligible for compensation. Before personnel leave, they are provided with a final case conference to ensure their issues are resolved or a plan is in place to manage them.
Whilst Defence has not assessed the proportion of medically discharged personnel who report feeling unprepared for civilian life, all are automatically referred to DTS or the Veterans Welfare Service (VWS). Service leavers, veterans, and their families can access support, help and information with issues that may endure beyond discharge irrespective of their reason for discharge. Healthcare support is tailored to their needs and preferences, ranging from simple transitional needs to enduring support for more complex challenges.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) report on the operational impact of drones supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the steps taken by his Department to help the Ukrainian armed forces prepare for (i) future requirements for drone systems and (ii) its defence of critical infrastructure during winter.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The UK has worked closely with the Ukrainian Armed Forces to provide military capabilities that meet their needs. This process includes feedback from the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the operational impact of drones supplied, to inform decisions on which drone systems to procure in the future and to focus research and development investment to address the most pressing challenges.
The UK continues to provide air defence capabilities to protect Ukrainian critical infrastructure over the winter. This includes further air defence systems (RAVEN, GRAVEHAWK) and missiles (Lightweight Multi-role Missiles (LMMs), ASRAAM), as well as the work developing the advanced OCTOPUS air defence interceptor drone as part of the UK and Ukraine technology sharing agreement. Most recently, on 24 October, the Prime Minister announced the accelerated delivery of 140 LMM missiles.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what Ministerial directions were issued by his Department in relation to the evacuation of animals from Afghanistan from the Nowzad charity.
Answered by James Heappey
As he said at the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee’s, the Secretary of State for Defence gave clear direction that the MOD evacuation should not prioritise animals over people.
The Nowzad flight was privately chartered and took place after the UK evacuation effort had ceased. UK military planners were able to assist Mr Farthing with the clearances required for the charter to land at Kabul airport by making an introduction between the charter company and the air operations staff managing the flight access. UK military personnel also enabled access to the aircraft by providing safe passage through the airport gate. This assistance did not detract from the Op Pitting response and the MOD had no further role in the evacuation of animals, including on the Nowzad flight.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Afghan nationals have worked for or with UK forces posted in Afghanistan since 2001.
Answered by James Heappey
We owe a debt of gratitude to those who risked their lives working alongside UK forces in Afghanistan. The Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy (ARAP) has seen thousands of eligible persons relocated to the UK, including British nationals and their families, Afghan former UK staff and their families, and many highly vulnerable Afghan people.
Records indicate that 4,013 locally engaged staff worked for UK forces in Afghanistan. Over the course of UK operations in Afghanistan, many Afghans have worked with British forces in a wide variety of contexts. As such it is not possible to quantify an exact number.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to insulate its housing stock to help meet Government targets to reduce carbon emissions.
Answered by Jeremy Quin
The Ministry of Defence has taken significant steps in improving insulation in Service Family Accommodation (SFA). In the last three years, the Department has invested £90 million to enhance over 10,000 SFA. Works have included fitting External Wall Insulation (EWI), new double glazed doors and windows and loft insulation.
The Department has delivered 2,458 EWI improvements, 2,509 new double glazed doors and windows 1,250 loft insulations.
These works improve the energy efficiency of properties in line with Government targets and respond to the issue of reducing carbon emissions with an efficiency first approach.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government remains committed to spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence as a NATO member.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
The UK remains committed to spending at least 2% of our GDP on Defence. NATO estimate that we will spend 2.13% of our GDP on Defence in 2019-20.
Asked by: Neil Coyle (Labour - Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the defence and aerospace industries.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin - Shadow Minister (Business and Trade)
We are leaving the EU, but remain fully committed to maintaining Europe’s security. We will ensure our respective industries can continue to collaborate to deliver the battle winning defence and aerospace capabilities we need to keep us safe.