Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many British Commonwealth personnel are in receipt of (a) a War Disablement Pension or (b) the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Information on the nationality of War Pension recipients is not recorded centrally.
As of 31 March 2019, approximately 209 British Commonwealth personnel, as defined by the British Nationality Act 1981, were in receipt of an ongoing payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.
Figures covering the period 1 April 2019 to 31 March 2020 will be published on the Gov.UK website within the next four weeks, at the link below:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-compensation-scheme-statistics-index
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his oral contribution of 12 May 2020, Official Report, Column 122, when the Government plans to reopen the Veterans UK helpline.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Veterans UK helpline never closed. The COVID-19 situation necessitated the delivery of services differently. The Veterans UK helpline was adapted to enable veterans to hear recorded service information on topics they may have needed help with, and written enquiries could still be submitted in the normal manner via email. Call backs and referral to the Veterans Welfare Service were provided where urgent or vulnerable callers were identified.
The Veterans UK helpline is now accepting a limited number of telephone calls and officials are working to restore as full a telephony service as soon as possible.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish his Department’s plan to support armed forces charities during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Armed Forces charities play a significant role in supporting our serving personnel, veterans and their families, no more so than at this time. That is why I announced a £6 Million COVID-19 Impact Fund for the Armed Forces Charity Sector on 12 May 2020 (Official Report: Column 127). This Fund is being administered by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Office for Veterans' Affairs within the Cabinet Office. Applications to it are now open with decisions on awards expected to be made on 15 June 2020.
Details on how to apply to the fund and the full eligibility criteria can be found on the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund website:
https://covenantfund.org.uk/2020/05/12/emergency-funding-for-frontline-armed-forces-charities-working-with-armed-forces-communities/.
In addition, Armed Forces charities are also able to apply to the £370 Million National Lottery Community Fund announced by the Chancellor on 8 April 2020 and utilise other COVID-19 financial support mechanisms including the Job Retention (Furlough) Scheme.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when armed forces charities will receive Government funding during the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
Armed Forces charities play a significant role in supporting our serving personnel, veterans and their families, no more so than at this time. That is why I announced a £6 Million COVID-19 Impact Fund for the Armed Forces Charity Sector on 12 May 2020 (Official Report: Column 127). This Fund is being administered by the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and the Office for Veterans' Affairs within the Cabinet Office. Applications to it are now open with decisions on awards expected to be made on 15 June 2020.
Details on how to apply to the fund and the full eligibility criteria can be found on the Armed Forces Covenant Trust Fund website:
https://covenantfund.org.uk/2020/05/12/emergency-funding-for-frontline-armed-forces-charities-working-with-armed-forces-communities/.
In addition, Armed Forces charities are also able to apply to the £370 Million National Lottery Community Fund announced by the Chancellor on 8 April 2020 and utilise other COVID-19 financial support mechanisms including the Job Retention (Furlough) Scheme.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what information his Department holds on the number of veterans who have died from suicide in the (a) most recent year for which information is available and (b) last five years.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Government takes the welfare of Service personnel and veterans very seriously. Whilst we recognise that suicide affects wider society, not just the Armed Forces, any such death is one too many and a tragedy for all concerned.
Suicide data for veterans of the UK Armed Forces is not currently captured by the Government. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), alongside the Office for Veterans Affairs within the Cabinet Office, are working to improve data collection of the veteran community, as envisioned by the ‘Strategy for our Veterans’.
The MOD has commissioned a new study to investigate causes of death, including suicide, amongst all those who served in the UK Armed Forces between 2001 and 2014, covering combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, encompassing veterans and those still serving:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-study-into-iraq-and-afghanistan-veterans-launched. MOD officials are continuing to work with colleagues in NHS Digital, the Health Research Authority and National Records Scotland to overcome challenges and are hopeful that the initial report will be published later this year.
The MOD also publishes studies on the causes of death, including suicide, of veterans from the 1982 Falklands war: (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/causes-of-deaths-among-the-uk-armed-forces-veterans-of-the-1982-falklands-campaign) and from the 1990/91 Gulf war: (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/causes-of-deaths-that-occurred-among-the-uk-veterans-of-the-199091-gulf-conflict). Both studies show that the suicide rates amongst veterans were lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department plans to publish the preliminary findings of the study into causes of death of military personnel who were deployed to conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2001 and 2014.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
The Government takes the welfare of Service personnel and veterans very seriously. Whilst we recognise that suicide affects wider society, not just the Armed Forces, any such death is one too many and a tragedy for all concerned.
Suicide data for veterans of the UK Armed Forces is not currently captured by the Government. However, the Ministry of Defence (MOD), alongside the Office for Veterans Affairs within the Cabinet Office, are working to improve data collection of the veteran community, as envisioned by the ‘Strategy for our Veterans’.
The MOD has commissioned a new study to investigate causes of death, including suicide, amongst all those who served in the UK Armed Forces between 2001 and 2014, covering combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, encompassing veterans and those still serving:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-study-into-iraq-and-afghanistan-veterans-launched. MOD officials are continuing to work with colleagues in NHS Digital, the Health Research Authority and National Records Scotland to overcome challenges and are hopeful that the initial report will be published later this year.
The MOD also publishes studies on the causes of death, including suicide, of veterans from the 1982 Falklands war: (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/causes-of-deaths-among-the-uk-armed-forces-veterans-of-the-1982-falklands-campaign) and from the 1990/91 Gulf war: (https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/causes-of-deaths-that-occurred-among-the-uk-veterans-of-the-199091-gulf-conflict). Both studies show that the suicide rates amongst veterans were lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of his Department's executive board are (a) male and (b) female.
Answered by Michael Fallon
The Ministry of Defence does not have a formal Departmental executive board but the Head Office Management Group fulfils a similar function. This has 11 members, currently all male.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of his Department's executive board are disabled.
Answered by Michael Fallon
The Department does not monitor the gender, disability or ethnic composition of its executive board separately from monitoring the Department as a whole. Even if it did, gender, disability and ethnicity identity is sensitive personal data as defined by section 2 of the Data Protection Act 1998. Given the small numbers involved, we could not disclose the results of such general monitoring without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many members of his Department's executive board are (a) white British and (b) from any other ethnic background.
Answered by Michael Fallon
The Department does not monitor the gender, disability or ethnic composition of its executive board separately from monitoring the Department as a whole. Even if it did, gender, disability and ethnicity identity is sensitive personal data as defined by section 2 of the Data Protection Act 1998. Given the small numbers involved, we could not disclose the results of such general monitoring without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of (a) his Department's staff and (b) staff working for companies contracted by his Department who are paid less than the Living Wage are (i) white British and (ii) from an ethnic minority background.
Answered by Anna Soubry
The table below shows the number of civilian staff, proportion and their gender, employed by the Ministry of Defence and its Agencies who are paid less than the rate defined by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF) as a living wage.
Department/Agency | Numbers paid less than LWF London Rate of £9.15 per hour | Numbers paid less than LWF National Rate of £7.85 per hour | Number of Female Staff | Number of Male staff | Number of staff as a proportion of the civilian workforce |
Ministry of Defence | 50 | 900 | 420 | 530 | 2.1% |
United Kingdom Hydrographic Office | 0 | 20 | ~ | 20 | 2.0% |
Defence Support Group | 0 | 50 | 10 | 40 | 1.79% |
Defence Science & Technology Laboratory | 0 | 50 | 20 | 40 | 1.42% |
Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
Figures are as at 8 December 2014.
~ = less than 5.
Contracted workers’ rates of pay, where paid by their parent company or recruitment agency, are not visible to the Department. Neither are the rates of staff working for companies contracted by my department or its agencies.
The information in respect of ethnicity is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.