Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2026 to question 105591 on Veterans: Visas, what issues he has encountered in the delivery of a visa fee waiver for dependents of Commonwealth veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence continues to work closely with the Home Office on the Government’s commitment to waive visa fees for non-UK veterans and their dependants. This work is ongoing, and the Department will update Parliament in the usual way once cross Government decisions have been finalised.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Defence to ensure that NHS practitioners are informed of the vulnerability to suicidal ideation of veterans impacted by Lariam; and what steps veterans can take with his Department to help improve awareness within the NHS of the nature and effects of mefloquine toxicity.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has updated its safety advice on mefloquine to reflect the risk of neuropsychiatric side effects, advising that it should not be used for chemoprophylaxis in individuals with a history of psychiatric disturbance.
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance states that mefloquine should not be prescribed to people with current or past psychiatric disorders, suicidal ideation or behaviour, or with epilepsy or any form of convulsion.
The clinical management of suspected mefloquine intoxication has recently been reviewed with the NHS England Armed Forces Clinical Reference Group. This review advised that clinicians should assess patients individually and are expected to take a full drug and alcohol history, including any previous mefloquine use.
NHS England is considering adding screening for prior mefloquine use and any associated adverse events to initial Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE assessments. Additional clinical guidance on mefloquine and its potential adverse effects is being developed and through the Five Eyes partnership discussions are being arranged with the United States to support continuous learning and best practice in the management of suspected mefloquine intoxication.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps to allow NHS professionals to view the health records of ex-military patients from their time in military service.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provide primary healthcare for serving personnel. All serving personnel will have a Defence Health Record which records their healthcare through their military service, whether provided by DMS or the National Health Service.
Serving personnel are provided with a medical care summary and a patient’s full Defence Health Record are transferred on request from their NHS general practitioner (GP). These are then available to be used and viewed as part of the individual’s medical records. These would also form part of digital records available via the NHS App and held by the respective veteran patient.
To improve the transfer of healthcare information, DMS is working towards a greater interoperability with NHS systems and the electronic transfer of medical records from DMS to NHS GPs.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Q101187 on Veterans: Visas, by what date will he have waived visa fees for dependents of Commonwealth veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Work is ongoing with the Home Office to deliver the manifesto commitment to scrap visa fees for non-UK veterans and their dependants including those from the Commonwealth, but it is not possible at this stage to provide an implementation date.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what co-ordination there is between Veterans Commissioners and VALOUR support centres in providing easier access to essential care and support for veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The competition for round one development funding for VALOUR Recognised Centres is currently underway. Once VALOUR Recognised Centres are established, they will be expected to engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including Veterans’ Commissioners.
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he has taken with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care to ensure that NHS practitioners are informed of the vulnerability to suicidal ideation of veterans impacted by Lariam; and what steps veterans can take with his Department to help improve awareness within the NHS of the nature and effects of mefloquine toxicity.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Mefloquine is recommended as an effective anti-malarial by international health agencies, including the World Health Organisation. Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the National Health Service both follow National Institute for Care and Excellence guidelines on the prescription and management of side effects associated with mefloquine.
The MOD is engaged with NHS England (NHSE) through the NHSE Armed Forces Clinical Reference Group. This group has recently reviewed the clinical management of the side effects associated with mefloquine. As symptoms can resemble acute psychiatric conditions, clinicians are advised to assess patients individually and are expected to take a full drug and alcohol history, including any previous mefloquine use.
In England, Op COURAGE and Op RESTORE provide a broad range of specialist mental health, physical and wellbeing care services to veterans, with similar services available in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
I would encourage any Veteran who is struggling with their mental health to self-refer or seek the support of their GP to access Op COURAGE, the Veterans' Mental Health and Wellbeing Service. The side effects that may be experienced whilst taking, or with a history of having taken mefloquine, will be treated according to the diagnosis; for example, if the patient is experiencing depressive symptoms, the treatment for depression will be instigated.
Asked by: Jessica Morden (Labour - Newport East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Crown Proceedings Act 1947 not being applied retrospectively on the ability of veterans to claim compensation; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of legislating to remove this restriction.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 November 2025 to Question 91751 to the hon. Member for Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire (Mr Angus MacDonald).
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what protocols Veterans UK follows to ensure compliance with directions issued by First-tier Tribunal judges in War Pension appeals; and whether performance against those protocols is independently monitored.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Tribunal directions can be issued at several stages of the appeal. In all circumstances the directions are actioned by caseworkers.
Tribunal directions typically include directed timeframes, where on occasion the caseworker would respectfully request from Tribunal Clerk, extensions to any unachievable timeframes.
Compliance with deadlines is monitored internally using internal trackers. The Tribunal clerks monitor responses to directions and raise any concerns or issues, with the caseworkers until the direction has been appropriately actioned.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department records the number of War Pension cases in which tribunal outcomes identify factual inconsistencies or errors in medical evidence provided by Veterans UK.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As part of a War Pension Tribunal outcome, written reasons for the decision are provided. The Ministry of Defence does not keep a separate record of whether any factual inconsistencies are identified.
Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that Veterans UK complies with disclosure obligations in War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme cases, particularly in relation to evidence provided to tribunals.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Evidence Bundles at Tribunals consists of all the information and documents used to make the decision on the claim including any advice received from the Ministry of Defence Medical Advisor. A full copy is provided to the appellant with all documents used to make the decision, and the appellant has the opportunity to raise any concerns or provide any comments.
Deadlines for submission of evidence bundles are monitored using internal trackers, markers on the hard copy files and independently by the Tribunal Clerks.