Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent estimate he has made of when phase two of the Veteran's Recognition Scheme will be completed.

As of October 2023, there have been over 75,000 cards issued as part of phase 1.

Phase 2 refers to the launch of the service for pre-2018 veterans to verify their status and receive a card. The Government remains committed to delivering the card to every veteran who wants one, and since this summer, has been engaging with thousands of veterans to test the service. We will now begin issuing hundreds of cards per day over the next month and produce thousands of cards for pre-2018 veterans before the end of 2023. Depending on the volume of applications received, we expect production to increase over the course of 2024 towards a maximum output capacity of around 50,000 cards per month.

Once launched, the service will remain live for all veterans who want a card to apply at any time in the future, and cards will continue to be issued automatically to Service leavers. Details of when all veterans will be able to apply for a card will be issued in due course.