Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initiatives are currently in place to ensure military veterans receive timely access to (1) physical rehabilitation, and (2) mental health, services, particularly those suffering post-traumatic stress disorder after combat.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Defence Medical Services (DMS) provides healthcare to Serving Armed Forces Personnel, to ensure that they are medically fit, mentally and physically, to undertake their duties. To overcome injuries, comprehensive rehabilitation services are provided to Service Personnel, through a network of Primary Care Rehabilitation Facilities, Regional Rehabilitation Units and the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Stanford Hall.
All Service Personnel have access to mental health support throughout their career, including medical and non-medical services. The Trauma Risk Management process (TRiM) is a Tri-Service endorsed strategy for providing support to Armed Forces Personnel involved in a traumatic event, whether on Operations or in any other circumstance. For Armed Forces Personnel requiring mental healthcare, including for post-traumatic stress disorder, the DMS provides a responsive, flexible, accessible, and comprehensive treatment service.
The MOD is not responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans in the UK. Where personnel leaving the Armed Forces have an enduring need for medical care, the DMS works in partnership with the NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations. Personnel who have been assessed and diagnosed with a mental health need are able to access MOD Departments of Community Mental Health for up to six months after discharge to provide continuity of care during the transition period until appropriate handover to other services can be completed as required.
The Defence Recovery Capability is a MOD-owned capability designed to deliver programmed, command-led and coordinated support to wounded, injured and sick Serving Personnel. Each person who comes under the Defence Recovery Capability will get a tailored Individual Recovery Plan which enables them to focus on either their return to duty or transition to civilian life.
The Veterans Welfare Service and Defence Transition Service deliver additional support to Service Leavers and their families who are most likely to face challenges as they leave the Armed Forces, including facilitating access to NHS services.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on mental health services delivered by Defence Primary Health Care within the Defence Medical Service to armed forces personnel in the 2023-24 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Department spent £24.4 million on mental health services delivered by Defence Primary Healthcare to Armed Forces personnel in the financial year 2023-24.
Asked by: Martin Docherty-Hughes (Scottish National Party - West Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to ensure that Armed Forces Compensation payments are processed before applicants die.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Ministry of Defence MOD aims to consider all claims under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) as efficiently as possible. Once officials are made aware that an AFCS claimant is terminally ill, their case is afforded top prioritisation across all stages of the consideration and notification process.
Decisions are made on a case-by-case basis and are evidence-based, with the majority of evidence-gathering undertaken on the individual's behalf. Complex cases can require extensive Service and medical evidence to be obtained and investigated. Complex cases and all claims for mental health conditions require medical consideration by a Medical Adviser (MA), whose role is to provide advice and guidance based upon pre-existing medical evidence to determine the level of disablement in accordance with the relevant scheme's rules.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of members of the armed forces were graded as unconditioned following a conditioning review in each year since 2018.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The Soldier Conditioning Review (SCR) applies to Army Personnel only. There are no fitness or health gradings of ‘unconditioned’.
Asked by: Siobhain McDonagh (Labour - Mitcham and Morden)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of armed forces personnel were (a) Medically Not Deployable and (b) Medically Limited Deployable in each year since 2010, broken down by service branch.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
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Medically downgraded personnel are those personnel who have been assessed by a medical board and subsequently awarded a Medical Deployability Standard of either Medically Limited Deployable (MLD) or Medically Non Deployable (MND).
The rise in MLD and MND rates is likely to be multifactorial and is a result of extrinsic and intrinsic factors. MOD are committed to retaining personnel in specialist trades or who possess niche skills that benefit Defence, and this may contribute to the increasing number of MLD and MND personnel. However, there are a range of interventions being delivered to address employability and deployability which are intended to mitigate the impact on Defence whilst continuing to provide the necessary medical support to our people.
The following table provides the number and proportion of UK Armed Forces personnel, broken down by service, with a Medical Deployability Standard of Medically Limited Deployable (MLD) and Medically Non-Deployable (MND), as at 01 April of each year from 2010 to 2023:
Service | Royal Navy | Army | RAF | |||||||||
| MLD | MND | MLD | MND | MLD | MND | ||||||
Date | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % |
01-Apr-10 | 1,843 | 5.2% | 2,938 | 8.3% | 14,786 | 14.5% | 6,736 | 6.6% | 1,472 | 3.7% | 3,941 | 9.8% |
01-Apr-11 | 1,995 | 5.6% | 2,882 | 8.1% | 15,217 | 15.0% | 6,952 | 6.9% | 1,616 | 4.0% | 3,966 | 9.9% |
01-Apr-12 | 1,786 | 5.4% | 2,866 | 8.6% | 14,319 | 14.5% | 7,480 | 7.6% | 1,561 | 4.1% | 3,865 | 10.1% |
01-Apr-13 | 1,825 | 5.8% | 2,697 | 8.6% | 12,237 | 13.0% | 8,021 | 8.5% | 1,402 | 4.0% | 3,634 | 10.3% |
01-Apr-14 | 1,732 | 5.7% | 2,859 | 9.4% | 10,667 | 12.2% | 7,938 | 9.1% | 1,412 | 4.3% | 3,599 | 10.8% |
01-Apr-15 | 1,846 | 6.1% | 2,840 | 9.4% | 10,122 | 12.3% | 8,246 | 10.0% | 1,433 | 4.5% | 3,461 | 10.9% |
01-Apr-16 | 1,932 | 6.5% | 2,892 | 9.7% | 10,001 | 12.5% | 8,308 | 10.4% | 1,618 | 5.2% | 3,622 | 11.7% |
01-Apr-17 | 2,044 | 6.9% | 2,722 | 9.2% | 9,971 | 12.7% | 7,890 | 10.1% | 1,845 | 6.0% | 3,304 | 10.7% |
01-Apr-18 | 2,032 | 6.9% | 2,762 | 9.4% | 10,005 | 13.0% | 6,907 | 9.0% | 1,952 | 6.4% | 3,321 | 10.9% |
01-Apr-19 | 2,145 | 7.3% | 2,864 | 9.8% | 9,964 | 13.3% | 6,702 | 8.9% | 2,139 | 7.1% | 3,480 | 11.6% |
01-Apr-20 | 2,279 | 7.8% | 2,930 | 10.1% | 9,434 | 12.8% | 6,667 | 9.0% | 2,310 | 7.8% | 3,675 | 12.4% |
01-Apr-21 | 2,396 | 8.1% | 2,899 | 9.8% | 8,937 | 11.6% | 6,447 | 8.4% | 2,399 | 8.0% | 3,455 | 11.5% |
01-Apr-22 | 2,306 | 7.7% | 3,279 | 11.0% | 9,388 | 12.2% | 7,600 | 9.8% | 2,458 | 8.2% | 3,884 | 13.0% |
01-Apr-23 | 2,197 | 7.5% | 3,286 | 11.2% | 9,263 | 12.4% | 7,669 | 10.2% | 2,488 | 8.5% | 4,081 | 13.9% |
Asked by: Sarah Atherton (Conservative - Wrexham)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many women in the armed forces who have reported sexual violence have subsequently been (a) medically and (b) administratively discharged on medical grounds due to mental ill health in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The requested information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Kevin Foster (Conservative - Torbay)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data the Office for Veterans' Affairs holds on the number and proportion of veterans who have informed their GP that they served in the armed forces.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not held centrally. Integrated care boards are encouraged to work with health providers in their area, including general practice (GP) surgeries, to ensure patient needs are met. The 2024/25 GP contract will introduce a requirement that GPs must have due regard for the requirements, needs, and circumstances of Armed Forces Veterans, when offering services and making onward referrals. In addition, the Veteran Friendly GP Practices, launched in 2018, is a voluntary scheme which enables GPs to deliver the best possible care and treatment for veterans and their families, including signposting and referrals to specialist services. As of March 2024, 85% of primary care networks have a veteran-friendly accredited GP in their area, and 83% of acute trusts have been accredited as veteran-aware.
Asked by: Richard Burgon (Labour - Leeds East)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, how many foreign officials have been granted special mission status to visit the UK in each year since 2011; and if he will list the (a) names and (b) country of origin of those officials.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in 2013 by the former Foreign Secretary William Hague, a special mission is a 'temporary mission, representing a state, which is sent by one state to another with the consent of the latter, in order to carry out official engagements on behalf of the sending state'. Since starting to issue special mission status (SMS) certificates in 2013, the FCDO has given consent for 57 special mission status visits to the UK for the following officials and their delegations:
2013 | Israel | · Maj. Gen. (res) Amos Yadlin, Former Chief of Military Intelligence DMI; Deputy Commander of Air Force · Maj. Gen. (res) Doron Almog Senior Adviser on Beduoin Issues (cancelled) · Lt. Gen. Benjamin Gantz, Chief of Defence Staff, Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) · Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Minister of International Affairs, Strategy and Intelligence |
2014 | Egypt | · Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Abdul Nasr, Minister of Education (cancelled) · Mr Mounir Faqhry Abdel Noor, Minister for Foreign Trade and Investment · Ambassador Yasser Atef, Deputy Assistant Minister for European Affairs · Dr Sherif Mohamed Ali Hammad, Minister of Scientific Research · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of Egyptian Armed Forces · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister for Foreign Affairs · Dr Mahamoud Aboel Nasr, Minister of Education |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Minister for Justice · Ms Tzipi Livni, Minister for Justice | |
Iran | · Mr Ebrahim Rahimpour, Deputy Foreign Minister for Asia and Oceania | |
2015 | Egypt | · Dr Mahmoud Abdoul Nasr, Minister of Education · Mr Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment · Mr Ashraf Salman, Minister of Investment · Dr Hany Kadry Demain, Minister of Finance · Prof. Dr SHerif Hammad, Minister of Scientific Research · Sheikh Dr Ahmed Al-Tayyeb, Grand Imam · Mr Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Foreign Minister · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Defence Staff · Mr Tarek Kabil, Minister of Trade and Industry · Mj. Gen. Mohamed Elkeshky, Assistant to the Minister of Defence for International Relations · Mr Khaled Fawzy, Chief of General Intelligence · Dr Ahmed Emad Eldin Rady, Minister for Health · President Sisi's Advance Delegation · President Sisi's Delegation · Major General Mohammad Farag Elshahat, Head of Military Intelligence |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Member of the Israeli Knessett · Delegation of Former Security Officials · Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister · Maj. Gen. Herzi Halevi, Chief of Military Intelligence | |
Qatar | · H.E, Dr. Ali bin Fetais Almarri, Attorney General | |
2016 | Egypt | · Mr Ashraf El Sheihy, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research · Mr Saad Elgyoushi, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research · Mr Sameh Hassan Shoukry, Foreign Minister |
Qatar | · H.E, Dr. Ali bin Fetais Almarri, Attorney General. | |
Israel | · Ms Tzipi Livni, Member of the Israeli Knessett · Maj. Gen. (ret) Amos Yadlin, Director, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) · Mr Shaul Mofaz, Former CDS and Minister of Defence · Mr Avi Dichter, Member of the Israeli Knessett | |
Rwanda | · Mr James Kararebe, Minister of Defence | |
2017 | Egypt | · Lt. Gen. Mahmoud Ibrahum Mahmoud Hegazy, Chief of Staff of the Egyptian Armed Forces. · Eng. Sherif Ismail, Prime Minister · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
2018 | Saudi Arabia | · Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia |
2019 | Egypt | · Mr Mahmoud Sharawy, Minister of Local Development · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
2020 | Egypt | · Mr Abdel Fattah Alsisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
Saudi Arabia | · Colonal Turki Al Maliki, Coalition Spokesman and Joint Head of Delegation | |
2021 | Egypt | · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport |
2022 | Egypt | · Mr Kamel El-Wazer, Minister of Transport · Mr Sameh Shoukry, Minister of Foreign Affairs |
Saudi Arabia | · Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia. (cancelled) | |
2024 | Israel | · Mr Benny Gantz, Minister of the State of Israel |
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support is available for military veterans transitioning back into civilian life.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The Veterans Welfare Service (VWS) supports serving personnel, veterans, the military bereaved, and their families, who have an enduring welfare need or need help to access DWP benefits or injury, bereavement and compensation schemes.
Defence Transition Services (DTS) helps Service leavers and their families, who face challenges as they leave the military and adjust to civilian life.
The support from these two services is available from two years before discharge, through into civilian life and regardless of time served or reason for discharge.
Integrated Personal Commissioning for Veterans (IPC4V) supports Armed Forces personnel who are leaving the services and are suffering from complex and enduring physical, neurological and mental health issues resulting from an injury that is attributable to Service.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to streamline the transition of medical care from military services to the NHS for service leavers.
Answered by Earl of Minto - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Where personnel leaving the Armed Forces have an enduring need for medical care, the Defence Medical Services (DMS) works in partnership with the NHS in each of the four nations. Wherever they live in the UK, all veterans are able to receive veteran specific health care support if they need it. Personnel who have been assessed and diagnosed with a mental health need are able to access Ministry of Defence (MOD) Departments of Community Mental Health for up to six months after discharge to provide continuity of care during the transition period until appropriate handover to other services can be completed as required.
DMS facilitates the transfer of healthcare information for all service personnel when they leave the Armed Forces. Programme CORTISONE will provide the ability to transfer a service person’s healthcare record in electronic form to a GP practice at the end of their service.
The Defence Recovery Capability is a MOD-owned capability designed to deliver programmed, command-led and coordinated support to wounded, injured and sick serving personnel. Each person who comes under the Defence Recovery Capability will get a tailored Individual Recovery Plan which enables them to focus on either their return to duty or transition to civilian life.
The Veterans Welfare Service and Defence Transition Service deliver additional support to service leavers and their families who are most likely to face challenges as they leave the Armed Forces, including facilitating access to NHS services.