Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average time was between application and approval for successful Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy scheme applications in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by James Heappey
Not all ARAP applicants will receive an eligibility decision in the same timeframe. This could be due to the complexity of the case, the need to conduct checks with other Government Departments, or the length of time it takes an applicant to respond to follow-up queries. As such, it is not possible to provide the data requested as the timeframes can vary considerably.
I recognise the great concern all applicants to the scheme have for their safety and wellbeing. As such, considerable amounts of time, resources and personnel have been, and continue to be, deployed to ensure that applications are considered as quickly efficiently, accurately and fairly as possible.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What progress his Department has made on supporting education and reskilling opportunities for former service personnel.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) promotes lifelong learning.
Eligible Service personnel and veterans can access three schemes which can help individuals pursue their personal and professional development through education, both during their Service and, for two of the schemes, up to ten years after discharge.
In 2019, the MOD introduced Holistic Transition support, building on the highly successful Career Transition Partnership, which has provided employment support and job finding services for the last 20 years.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of using Veterans UK medical advisors rather than independent medical experts in the veterans compensation process.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring that the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) delivers for those who make a claim. Mechanisms of accountability ensure that this is the case and include the Quinquennial Review to confirm AFCS remains fit for purpose, monthly review against Key Performance Indicators, and bi-monthly review in conjunction with the Office of Veterans Affairs. The Central Advisory Committee on Compensation also affords Armed Forces charities opportunity to discuss all aspects of compensation, including the efficiency of AFCS.
The AFCS uses independent medical experts through the Independent Medical Expert Group, an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body. This provides assurance that AFCS policy and decision-making reflect contemporary medical understanding of causation and prognosis. Any apparent anomalies in AFCS tariffs are examined and recommendations made accordingly. Veterans UK medical advisers are independent from clinicians and have had a career in clinical medicine. They are trained in medico-legal determinations and AFCS legislation. They give case-specific advice based on the claimant’s service and in-line with prevailing medical understanding.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme process for veterans.
Answered by Leo Docherty
The Ministry of Defence is committed to ensuring that the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) delivers for those who make a claim. Mechanisms of accountability ensure that this is the case and include the Quinquennial Review to confirm AFCS remains fit for purpose, monthly review against Key Performance Indicators, and bi-monthly review in conjunction with the Office of Veterans Affairs. The Central Advisory Committee on Compensation also affords Armed Forces charities opportunity to discuss all aspects of compensation, including the efficiency of AFCS.
The AFCS uses independent medical experts through the Independent Medical Expert Group, an advisory Non-Departmental Public Body. This provides assurance that AFCS policy and decision-making reflect contemporary medical understanding of causation and prognosis. Any apparent anomalies in AFCS tariffs are examined and recommendations made accordingly. Veterans UK medical advisers are independent from clinicians and have had a career in clinical medicine. They are trained in medico-legal determinations and AFCS legislation. They give case-specific advice based on the claimant’s service and in-line with prevailing medical understanding.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions he has had with UK mobile telephone operators about waiving mobile roaming charges for military personnel deployed to the Caribbean following the recent hurricanes that have affected the region.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
No such discussions have taken place. A Deployed Welfare Package is usually put in place on operations to ensure Service personnel can stay in communications with those at home. Due to the short duration of this operation, in lieu of a Deployed Welfare Package, all of those deployed have been paid a Local Overseas Allowance. This contributes towards the necessary additional local cost of day-to-day living when Service personnel are required to serve overseas. In this deployment, this allowance was paid in addition to that given to Service personnel who were living under 'field conditions', where their food and accommodation charges are waived.