Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that injured military veterans do not have to pay for their social care costs out of their military compensation; and if he will make a statement.

We made a clear commitment, through the Armed Forces Covenant, which we enshrined in legislation in 2011, to support members of the Armed Forces Community, which includes both serving personnel and veterans.

Social care has never been free and people, including veterans, have always been asked to make a contribution based on what they can afford. Veterans injured before 6 April 2005 receive payments under the War Pensions Scheme, which predates the welfare state. Veterans injured from 6 April 2005 receive payments under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme. The two schemes reflect the time in which they were developed and as a result they operate differently and are, currently, treated differently in the financial assessment of what people can afford for social care.

Officials in the Department of Health have been working closely with the Royal British Legion to assess how the two schemes might be treated under the social care charging rules in future and the impact of any change on local authority finances. We are grateful for the time the Royal British Legion has taken to work with the officials. We are very much committed to continuing this conversation.