Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to support veterans who are unable to bring compensation claims relating to service prior to the commencement of the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is fully committed to renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve and who have served, to ensure Veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. For Veterans facing challenges or difficulties, the Veterans Welfare Service, run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for Veterans or anyone supporting a Veteran, their families and dependants.
There are currently no plans to apply the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 retrospectively. Successive Governments have had a policy against retrospective changes to schemes. However, there is a route to compensation, outside of litigation, for Service personnel who served before May 1987, via the War Pension Scheme (WPS). If a Veteran feels that they have been impacted by their Service before 1987 they are able to make a claim under the WPS. The WPS is a no-fault scheme which provides compensation for Service personnel who are disabled or die due to injury caused or made worse by service in the UK Armed Forces before 6 April 2005. There are also a range of supplementary pensions and allowances payable, including for dependants.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has had discussions with veterans’ representatives on compensation arrangements for people unable to bring claims relating to service before 1987.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is fully committed to renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve and who have served, to ensure Veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. For Veterans facing challenges or difficulties, the Veterans Welfare Service, run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for Veterans or anyone supporting a Veteran, their families and dependants.
There are currently no plans to apply the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 retrospectively. Successive Governments have had a policy against retrospective changes to schemes. However, there is a route to compensation, outside of litigation, for Service personnel who served before May 1987, via the War Pension Scheme (WPS). If a Veteran feels that they have been impacted by their Service before 1987 they are able to make a claim under the WPS. The WPS is a no-fault scheme which provides compensation for Service personnel who are disabled or die due to injury caused or made worse by service in the UK Armed Forces before 6 April 2005. There are also a range of supplementary pensions and allowances payable, including for dependants.
Asked by: Angus MacDonald (Liberal Democrat - Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to review the compensation arrangements for veterans whose service took place before the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 came into effect.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is fully committed to renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve and who have served, to ensure Veterans and their families get access to the health, housing, employment and other support they need. For Veterans facing challenges or difficulties, the Veterans Welfare Service, run by the Ministry of Defence, provides free one-to-one support for Veterans or anyone supporting a Veteran, their families and dependants.
There are currently no plans to apply the Crown Proceedings (Armed Forces) Act 1987 retrospectively. Successive Governments have had a policy against retrospective changes to schemes. However, there is a route to compensation, outside of litigation, for Service personnel who served before May 1987, via the War Pension Scheme (WPS). If a Veteran feels that they have been impacted by their Service before 1987 they are able to make a claim under the WPS. The WPS is a no-fault scheme which provides compensation for Service personnel who are disabled or die due to injury caused or made worse by service in the UK Armed Forces before 6 April 2005. There are also a range of supplementary pensions and allowances payable, including for dependants.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October to Question 80377 on Armed Forces: Health, and the Answer of 17 November to Question 89590 on Armed Forces: Health Services, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of collecting these metrics for Wales.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Defence uses a Hospital Referral System (HRS) to make and track referrals to the NHS and private healthcare providers. The HRS was introduced in 2024 to centralise and manage all referrals generated by Defence Primary Healthcare (DPHC) Medical and Dental Centres.
Currently not all DPHC Medical Centres in Wales use the HRS in order to make a referral. The Department is working to incorporate this data into the system to ensure there is accurate and consistent reporting across all four nations.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to increase levels of funding for veteran support centres in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
VALOUR is a new national programme designed to make it easier for veterans across the UK to access the care and support they deserve. Led by the Office for Veterans' Affairs (OVA) within the Ministry of Defence, it aims to improve how services are coordinated at national, regional and local levels, ensuring veterans get the right support, in the right place, at the right time.
A network of VALOUR recognised centres across the UK will facilitate access to multiple services for veterans in one place. £27 million in development funding for VALOUR recognised centres has been made available, with funds being issued on behalf of the OVA through the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust. I encourage organisations in Northern Ireland to apply to for this funding.
Veteran support organisations in Northern Ireland already benefit from other Government funding streams. Beyond the Battlefield has received £325,000 through the Veterans Capital Housing Fund and Reducing Veteran Homelessness Programme to support its wraparound care service and facilitate the provision of a 24/7 support network. The Northern Ireland Thrive Together Programme, meanwhile, which is led by Brooke House Health and Wellbeing Centre, has received a grant of £765,000 to support its Veterans' Pathway Project and the establishment of six locality-based hubs.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his planned timeline is for the (a) rollout and (b) completion of the training for NHS staff on (i) identifying and (ii) supporting patients with an armed forces background.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The training and education programmes will be rolled out to all National Health Service organisations and for all NHS staff over the next two and a half years. The programmes will share best practice about how the NHS can identify and support patients with an Armed Forces background.
By the end of 2026, the target is for all board members of integrated care boards and Department national commissioning teams to have completed Armed Forces healthcare specific training. In addition, by the end of 2026, the ambition is for 200,000 NHS staff in England to have completed the training.
By 2028, the ambition is for 400,000 NHS staff to have completed Armed Forces healthcare specific training. Performance will be reviewed against ambitions regularly, and appropriate changes will be made to the programme so that uptake continually increases.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many and what proportion of NHS staff will receive armed forces-specific training by (a) 2026 and (b) 2028.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The training and education programmes will be rolled out to all National Health Service organisations and for all NHS staff over the next two and a half years. The programmes will share best practice about how the NHS can identify and support patients with an Armed Forces background.
By the end of 2026, the target is for all board members of integrated care boards and Department national commissioning teams to have completed Armed Forces healthcare specific training. In addition, by the end of 2026, the ambition is for 200,000 NHS staff in England to have completed the training.
By 2028, the ambition is for 400,000 NHS staff to have completed Armed Forces healthcare specific training. Performance will be reviewed against ambitions regularly, and appropriate changes will be made to the programme so that uptake continually increases.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure consistency in the quality and delivery of the Armed Forces training across all NHS trusts.
Answered by Zubir Ahmed - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Armed Forces National Training and Education programme has been developed as a series of modules which will be delivered by a dedicated Veterans Covenant Healthcare Alliance (VCHA) trainer within each region. The Programme comprises a series of evidence-based modules that will be delivered through multiple channels, including face-to-face sessions facilitated by the team of Regional Trainers, national webinars, and e-learning packages. Plans are underway to develop a “Train the Trainer” module to support wider implementation and ensure consistency in both quality and delivery.
All module content is subject to quality assurance by the NHS Armed Forces National Team and the VCHA. The programme will undergo continuous evaluation, with updates and refinements made as appropriate.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that housing maintenance providers deliver an (a) effective and (b) reliable service for Armed Forces personnel in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As at 12 November 2025, 99% of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties serving the Surrey Heath constituency meet or exceed the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). Maintenance standards for SFA follow provisions outlined in JSP 464, the DHS and the Housing Health and Rating Safety System, with contractual performance measures ensuring statutory safety checks and maintenance are completed effectively.
The Ministry of Defence ensures effective and reliable housing maintenance services for Armed Forces personnel through close monitoring of Industry Partners using Key Performance Indicators, regular reviews, audits and customer feedback.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) condition and (b) maintenance standards of Armed Forces accommodation in Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As at 12 November 2025, 99% of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties serving the Surrey Heath constituency meet or exceed the Decent Homes Standard (DHS). Maintenance standards for SFA follow provisions outlined in JSP 464, the DHS and the Housing Health and Rating Safety System, with contractual performance measures ensuring statutory safety checks and maintenance are completed effectively.
The Ministry of Defence ensures effective and reliable housing maintenance services for Armed Forces personnel through close monitoring of Industry Partners using Key Performance Indicators, regular reviews, audits and customer feedback.