Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183286 on Veterans: ID cards, how many veteran ID cards have been distributed by local authority area as of 18 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the hon. Member's Question. I will write to him when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2024 to Question 17495 on Mental Health Services: Veterans, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing social prescribing pilots in garrison towns.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
NHS England commissioned three pilot sites, in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset, to explore and evaluate the merits of social prescribing in the Armed Forces Community. The outcome of the evaluation is planned for Autumn 2024, and the findings will inform a toolkit which can be used by other social prescribing teams. The evaluation will also inform whether there should be plans for further pilots, including in garrison towns.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2024, to Question 17492 on Veterans: Identity Cards, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of assessing the effectiveness of the advertising of the veterans’ ID cards application service.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card Scheme has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of their Service Leaver Pack.
Phase 2 extends access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card.
As of 18 March 2024, there have been a total of 90,381 Phase 2 applications received, and 71,752 cards issued. During March 2024, 12,907 applications have been received and 9,807 posted.
Extensive communications have been issued by both MOD and the Office for Veterans' Affairs in relation to the application service. This included significant social media activity, bespoke videos, a GOV.UK news article and an article in the Sunday Express. Applications have also now opened for veterans in prison as part of the rehabilitation process. MOD has partnered with the Ministry of Justice to communicate availability of the cards to every prison in the UK.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2024, to Question 17492 on Veterans: Identity Cards, what progress his Department has made on reaching this month's production target for veterans' ID cards.
Answered by Andrew Murrison - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The HM Armed Forces Veteran Card Scheme has had a two-phase rollout. Phase 1 is complete; all Service leavers since December 2018 automatically receive a Veteran Card from Ministry of Defence (MOD) as part of their Service Leaver Pack.
Phase 2 extends access to the Veteran Card to those who left before December 2018. The new digital application and verification service launched at 00:01 on 28 January 2024 allowing pre-2018 veterans to apply for the card.
As of 18 March 2024, there have been a total of 90,381 Phase 2 applications received, and 71,752 cards issued. During March 2024, 12,907 applications have been received and 9,807 posted.
Extensive communications have been issued by both MOD and the Office for Veterans' Affairs in relation to the application service. This included significant social media activity, bespoke videos, a GOV.UK news article and an article in the Sunday Express. Applications have also now opened for veterans in prison as part of the rehabilitation process. MOD has partnered with the Ministry of Justice to communicate availability of the cards to every prison in the UK.
Asked by: Lord Browne of Belmont (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask His Majesty's Government what initiatives are currently in place to ensure that military veterans receive timely access to (1) physical rehabilitation services, and (2) mental health services, specifically those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Op RESTORE is a bespoke physical health and wellbeing service, commissioned by NHS England, which supports individuals who have served in, or are leaving, the British Armed Forces and have physical health injuries and related medical problems attributed to their time in the armed forces.
NHS England also commissioned Op COURAGE, which is the comprehensive veterans’ mental health and wellbeing service. Access to Op COURAGE is via referral or by direct contact from veterans. A campaign to raise awareness of Op COURAGE launched on 9 January 2024.
In addition, The National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), which is part of the Government’s New Hospital Programme, is a new 70-bed facility which will benefit all patients, including veterans. Construction started in 2023.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many veterans are in temporary accommodation.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 15404 on 1 March 2024.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many homeless veterans there are in the UK.
Answered by Felicity Buchan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
I refer the Hon Member to the answer given to Question UIN 15404 on 1 March 2024.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of veterans on Universal Credit.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 February 2024 to PQ11939.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many veterans with drug and alcohol addictions have used Op COURAGE since its inception.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Prior to April 2023, Op COURAGE was formed from the three separate services of the Transition, Intervention and Liaison service, the Complex Treatment Service, and the High Intensity Service. Performance data for these services did not collect uniquely identifiable information on individual veterans, so it would not be possible to identify instances where a veteran had attended Op COURAGE for more than one course of treatment.
No data is held on the numbers of veterans with gambling additions that have used Op COURAGE. Data analysed includes the primary mental health reason for referral to Op COURAGE. From April 2023, there have been no referrals to Op COURAGE with a primary mental health reason of gambling addiction. Since April 2023, less than 1.5% of referrals to Op COURAGE have been with a primary mental health reason of either obsessive-compulsive disorder or drug or alcohol difficulties.
Between August 2021 and September 2024, £339,000 has been allocated across the three social prescribing pilot projects which are in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset. The National Health Service provides wellbeing support to all full-time carers. Veterans who identify as a carer are offered a Carer’s Assessment, which is undertaken by local authorities. The outcome of the Carer’s Assessment will inform a care and support plan, which is bespoke to the needs of the carer.
The Better Care Fund in 2023/24 includes £327 million for carers support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. It also funds advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties. There is no data on how much of that funding may have been used for veterans.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether bespoke wellbeing support is provided by the NHS to veterans who are full-time carers.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
Prior to April 2023, Op COURAGE was formed from the three separate services of the Transition, Intervention and Liaison service, the Complex Treatment Service, and the High Intensity Service. Performance data for these services did not collect uniquely identifiable information on individual veterans, so it would not be possible to identify instances where a veteran had attended Op COURAGE for more than one course of treatment.
No data is held on the numbers of veterans with gambling additions that have used Op COURAGE. Data analysed includes the primary mental health reason for referral to Op COURAGE. From April 2023, there have been no referrals to Op COURAGE with a primary mental health reason of gambling addiction. Since April 2023, less than 1.5% of referrals to Op COURAGE have been with a primary mental health reason of either obsessive-compulsive disorder or drug or alcohol difficulties.
Between August 2021 and September 2024, £339,000 has been allocated across the three social prescribing pilot projects which are in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset. The National Health Service provides wellbeing support to all full-time carers. Veterans who identify as a carer are offered a Carer’s Assessment, which is undertaken by local authorities. The outcome of the Carer’s Assessment will inform a care and support plan, which is bespoke to the needs of the carer.
The Better Care Fund in 2023/24 includes £327 million for carers support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. It also funds advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties. There is no data on how much of that funding may have been used for veterans.