Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to expand opportunities for veterans to transition into civilian employment.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is fully committed to renewing the nations contract with those who serve and who have served and to ensure veterans and their families have access to the employment support they need. A range of programmes are in place to support those leaving service, which make full use of their skills and experience in finding fulfilling and sustainable careers.
The Career Transition Partnership is the initial point of employment provision for those transitioning into civilian life, with employment assistance available for up to two years before and two years after leaving service.
For veterans who are more than two years post-service, as well as their families, additional support is provided through Op ASCEND. This initiative has already engaged with over 420 employers to create employment opportunities and successfully supported 5,000 veterans and family members.
In addition, the new Veterans Strategy outlines specific and targeted interventions to connect veterans with strategically important industries. This includes a 12-month Clean Energy Jobs pilot in partnership with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to connect veterans with high-skilled careers in the high demand clean energy sector.
The recent Budget confirmed that the Employer National Insurance contributions relief for veterans will be extended to April 2028.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, (a) whether he is aware of reports that some motor insurers refuse cover to individuals on joining the Armed Forces and (b) what steps he is taking to address this.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
Under the Armed Forces Covenant, organisations are encouraged to make voluntary pledges to support Service personnel, Veterans and their families. However, insurance provision is a matter for private companies, and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not have the authority to direct or mandate their commercial decisions.
The MOD continues to engage with industry and promote best practice through the Covenant framework of voluntary pledges and the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, encouraging businesses to remove barriers and ensure fair treatment for the Armed Forces community.
The MOD does not provide financial or legal advice, and neither can we take responsibility for individual financial decisions. Personnel who require such advice are directed by their Unit HR staffs to a list of Services Insurance and Investment Advisory Panel (SIIAP) approved independent financial advisers. However, personnel are, of course, free to use the services of any independent financial adviser.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many applications for the restoration of (a) honours and (b) medals have been received since February 2021; and how many have been granted.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Since 2021, there have been 24 applications received from, or on behalf of, LGBT Veterans who had forfeited medals. 9 of these cases were found to be eligible for restoration. There have been no applications for the restoration of honours.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of veterans living in Northern Ireland who are eligible for but have not yet applied to the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme was established by the Victims Payments Regulations Act 2020 and is run by the independent Victims Payment Board, administered by on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive. Further information is available on https://www.nidirect.gov.uk
The deadline for applications has been extended by two years and will now close on 31 August 2026. The scheme continues to be promoted in Northen Ireland through the veterans’ support network.
Asked by: Ben Obese-Jecty (Conservative - Huntingdon)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what progress he has made on waiving visa fees for the dependents of Commonwealth veterans.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is committed to waiving visa fees for non-UK veterans, including Commonwealth citizens, who have served for four or more years, and their dependants. We are working closely with the Home Office to deliver this commitment.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the answer of 25 November 2025 to Question 91618 on Cabinet Office: Social Media, on what topics, campaigns and programmes the expenditure on each platform was for.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
Please see below for the requested breakdown:
Campaign | Platform |
NMU - Border Security | Meta |
NMU - Breakfast Clubs | Meta |
Cabinet Office - COVID enquiry | Meta, LinkedIn, Snapchat, TikTok, Reddit |
NMU - Community Diagnostic Centres | Meta, Snapchat |
Government Digital and Data | |
Great Futures | |
NMU - Neighbourhoods | Meta |
Veteran employment support campaign | Meta, LinkedIn |
Veterans healthcare campaign | Meta |
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has set a target date by which no veteran should be sleeping rough in England; and what resources have been allocated to achieve this objective.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
On 11 December 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published A National Plan to End Homelessness. The Ministry of Defence contributed to this strategy including committing to ensuring that all councils are aware of service provision in their area to support veterans at risk of homelessness.
Asked by: John Milne (Liberal Democrat - Horsham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of adopting the unofficial Cold War Medal for UK veterans from the Cold War.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has no plans to adopt an unofficial medal in recognition of UK military service during the Cold War.
In the UK, the granting of official Honours and Awards is made at the behest of His Majesty, The King who is advised by the Cabinet Office led Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. In turn, this committee is advised on matters of historic military recognition, by the independent Advisory Military Sub-Committee, rather than the MOD.
The issue of generic medallic recognition for service during the Cold War was officially considered by Sir John Holmes as part of his review of Military Medals in 2012. The Review did not recommend that a Cold War medal should be introduced.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to ensure veterans are not (a) homeless and (b) rough sleeping.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government is fully committed to ensuring that all veterans across the UK have access to the support they need on housing. That is why we have committed an additional £12 million to ensure the continuation of the Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme. Op FORTITUDE will also be extended, putting the service that has already supported over 1,000 veterans on a sustainable footing. These programmes will deliver three years of support services across the UK for veterans at risk of or experiencing homelessness.
On 11 December 2025, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published A National Plan to End Homelessness. The Ministry of Defence contributed to this strategy including committing to ensuring that all councils are aware of service provision in their area to support veterans at risk of homelessness.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will widen his internal review of material relating to nuclear test veterans to include information from the Defence and Science Technology Laboratory.
Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
This Government has reset the relationship with nuclear test veterans and the organisations that support them. We remain committed to listening to their concerns and working collaboratively to address them. The Ministry of Defence is looking at what information the Department holds regarding nuclear test veterans' medical records, and the scope of that exercise was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on 30 June 2025. There are no plans to alter that scope and we will update the House when we are in a position to share findings.