Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what financial support his Department is providing to service charities to help them assist Forces communities through the cost of living crisis.

Support for veterans is provided by a number of Government Departments and is overseen by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA) within the Cabinet Office. The OVA is working with other Government Departments that provide support to veterans and is engaged with the service charity sector to understand how the veterans’ community may be impacted, including in the forthcoming Veterans Survey, and in a recent Cobseo-led survey specifically relating to the cost of living.

The Government provides support to the Armed Forces Community through the £10 million per annum Covenant Fund. The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust distributes this funding to charities and community interest companies across the United Kingdom. Current funds, such as the Reaching and Supporting Armed Forces Communities programme, provide vital support to those who need it most.

The Government is committed to supporting all households, including serving personnel and veterans, with the current costs of living. Defence has implemented the independent Armed Forces’ Pay Review Body’s 2022 pay award recommendations in full, including a pay uplift of 3.75% for all Service Personnel up to and including 1-star rank; frozen the daily food charge for our Armed Forces personnel; capped subsidised accommodation charge increases to one per cent; increased Get You Home and Home to Duty rates by 7 per cent; ensured that the council tax rebate reaches those in military accommodation, and is saving military families up to £3,000 per child per year by extending the availability of free wraparound childcare.

In addition, my officials at Veterans UK will process Winter Fuel Payments for eligible veterans whose only government-paid income is from a War Disablement Pension. Through its Veterans Welfare Service, Veterans UK provides one-to-one welfare support and advice to veterans or anyone supporting a veteran, their families and dependants.