Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department has taken to (a) implement the Great Place to Work for Veterans initiative and (b) help ex-service men and women secure employment.

We have successfully piloted the Great Place to Work scheme across six government Departments and have commenced the roll out of this initiative across Departments for all Civil Service roles, including Senior Civil Servant positions by the end of March 2022. During the pilot phase, the scheme received 3,000 applications, made 155 appointments to roles and saw 180 successful applicants placed on a reserve list.

The new Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan outlines over 60 commitments funded by over £70 million from departments across Government, including initiatives to make sure veterans are able to find quality employment after leaving service.

These commitments build on recent progress and support to encourage employers to recruit veterans, such as the National Insurance contribution holiday for employers of Service leavers and the Defence Employer Recognition scheme. We have committed to promoting pathways into careers in public service for veterans, such as teaching and in the uniformed and health services and introduced a fast-track recruitment scheme for veterans wishing to become prison officers.