Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was provided for Op Courage in 2023.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Planned spend on Op COURAGE in financial year 2023/24 is £23.5 million. Following the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, an additional £2.7 million was pledged over three years (until March 2025) to expand Op COURAGE services to support those experiencing complex mental and/or physical trauma, or alcohol and substance misuse.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of the total expenditure on his Department's digital transformation programme.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As stated in Footnote 14 of the National Audit Office’s report entitled ‘The Digital Strategy for Defence: A review of early implementation’, Defence will spend £1.360 billion on digital transformation in the period financial years 2022-23 to 2031-32.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was provided for Op Nova in 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Planned spend on Op RESTORE for 2023/24 is £0.5 million. Additional costs associated with treatment costs form part of overall expenditure within integrated care boards and are not separately identified.
Op NOVA launched on 1 April 2023. Planned spend on Op NOVA for 2023/24 is £2.03 million.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding was provided for Op Restore in 2023.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Planned spend on Op RESTORE for 2023/24 is £0.5 million. Additional costs associated with treatment costs form part of overall expenditure within integrated care boards and are not separately identified.
Op NOVA launched on 1 April 2023. Planned spend on Op NOVA for 2023/24 is £2.03 million.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to invite all Nuclear Test Veteran charities to a reception in November 2023.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Government is committed to recognising the contributions of Nuclear Test Veterans.
That is why the Prime Minister announced the creation of the Nuclear Test Medal in November 2022, and the government delivered on its promise that those veterans who had applied would receive their medals in time for Remembrance Sunday.
I am delighted to confirm that I will be hosting a reception on 28 November for a small cohort of the first veteran recipients of the medal. Due to limited capacity, we have prioritised inviting veterans in order to honour and recognise the contribution of those who served at the time.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many veterans were consulted as part of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme Quinquennial Review 2022-23.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) compensates for any injury, illness or death which was caused by service on or after 6 April 2005. Both currently Serving personnel and veterans are eligible to apply.
The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring that the AFCS delivers for those who make a claim and there are mechanisms of assessment and accountability in place to ensure that this is the case. The AFCS Quinquennial Review (QQR) takes place every five years to ensure the AFCS remains fit for purpose and to identify opportunities for improvement. The full report can be found at the following website: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/quinquennial-review-of-the-armed-forces-compensation-scheme-2023-headline-findings-and-progress-report
Annex B of the AFCS QQR report sets out a list of stakeholder organisations, groups and individuals consulted. There were a total of 105 respondents, including eight AFCS recipients as well as representatives from charities such as Blesma, COBSEO and the Royal British Legion amongst others.
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what data his Department holds on the number of veterans who attended each focus group that contributed to the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Independent Review of UK Veterans Welfare Services, the Review team held various focus groups with veterans and charities. These events were run online and through in-person visits accompanied by the relevant Veterans Commissioner. Groups were small to maximise engagement and due to the tight timeframes within which to set up the events.
In-person events were held in Brecon, Edinburgh, Belfast, Salisbury and at the Ilford Park Polish Home in Devon. Numbers for each visit varied and ranged from between 15 to 30 people, giving a total of around 100. To maintain confidentiality, specific details of each veteran attending was not captured, and therefore the Ministry of Defence does not hold precise numbers of veterans who attended each group.
Written and/or verbal input was received from 11 charities:
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many charities submitted written responses to the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Independent Review of UK Veterans Welfare Services, the Review team held various focus groups with veterans and charities. These events were run online and through in-person visits accompanied by the relevant Veterans Commissioner. Groups were small to maximise engagement and due to the tight timeframes within which to set up the events.
In-person events were held in Brecon, Edinburgh, Belfast, Salisbury and at the Ilford Park Polish Home in Devon. Numbers for each visit varied and ranged from between 15 to 30 people, giving a total of around 100. To maintain confidentiality, specific details of each veteran attending was not captured, and therefore the Ministry of Defence does not hold precise numbers of veterans who attended each group.
Written and/or verbal input was received from 11 charities:
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which charities submitted written responses to the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Independent Review of UK Veterans Welfare Services, the Review team held various focus groups with veterans and charities. These events were run online and through in-person visits accompanied by the relevant Veterans Commissioner. Groups were small to maximise engagement and due to the tight timeframes within which to set up the events.
In-person events were held in Brecon, Edinburgh, Belfast, Salisbury and at the Ilford Park Polish Home in Devon. Numbers for each visit varied and ranged from between 15 to 30 people, giving a total of around 100. To maintain confidentiality, specific details of each veteran attending was not captured, and therefore the Ministry of Defence does not hold precise numbers of veterans who attended each group.
Written and/or verbal input was received from 11 charities:
Asked by: Rachel Hopkins (Labour - Luton South)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, where the focus groups for the independent review of UK Government welfare services for veterans were held.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Independent Review of UK Veterans Welfare Services, the Review team held various focus groups with veterans and charities. These events were run online and through in-person visits accompanied by the relevant Veterans Commissioner. Groups were small to maximise engagement and due to the tight timeframes within which to set up the events.
In-person events were held in Brecon, Edinburgh, Belfast, Salisbury and at the Ilford Park Polish Home in Devon. Numbers for each visit varied and ranged from between 15 to 30 people, giving a total of around 100. To maintain confidentiality, specific details of each veteran attending was not captured, and therefore the Ministry of Defence does not hold precise numbers of veterans who attended each group.
Written and/or verbal input was received from 11 charities: