Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure veteran services are consistent across the UK; and if he will make an assessment of the potential for improvements in co-ordination between veteran services deliverers.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Veterans' Strategy Action Plan 2022-24, launched in January 2022, outlines the actions the UK Government will take to support veterans and their families across the UK. Many services are devolved, but we work closely with the Devolved Administrations and service providers across the United Kingdom to learn from one another.
Veterans Commissioners exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as a newly appointed Veterans Commissioner for Wales, to represent the views of their veterans and signpost services in their nation. We have also appointed the Independent Veterans Adviser who reports directly to the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
We will continue to engage and collaborate on delivery with local authorities, other statutory service providers, service charities, academia and private sector organisations - many of which have UK-wide reach. Moving forward, analysis of standardised census data on veterans will provide unprecedented insight into where our veterans live and allow us to better address their needs. In addition, the new Covenant duty, introduced as part of the Armed Forces Act 2021, will increase awareness of the Armed Forces Community and the Covenant at the local level, improving delivery in key areas of health, housing and education across the UK, and so provide greater consistency of support.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to enable ex-service personnel to find employment in the defence industry.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government's aim is to support veterans making the transition to civilian life and to assist them in finding fulfilling and meaningful careers after leaving Service, including within the wider defence industry. The Career Transition Partnership (CTP) regularly reviews the employment market and looks to provide Service leavers with appropriate education and reskilling opportunities. CTP provide a range of courses to support employment within the Defence industry, for example reskilling into shortage areas such as the provision of specialist Network/Cyber courses.
CTP work with a wide range of Defence departments such as Defence Equipment and Support, the Defence Infrastructure Organisation, and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, to promote their opportunities to those personnel in resettlement. There are specific programmes, like 'Great Place To Work' and 'Going Forward Into Employment', which offer Service personnel guaranteed interviews for those who meet the appropriate criteria. CTP also work with a wide range of Defence contractors, many of which utilise RightJob, the CTP jobs board, as well as attending CTP Employment Fairs and events to attract talent from the Services.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that schools teach young people about (a) British veterans and (b) the Armed Forces Covenant.
Answered by Robin Walker
We want all children to leave school with the knowledge, skills and values that will prepare them to be active citizens in modern Britain.
Teaching about the British constitutional system, political issues, different viewpoints and the way in which pupils can engage in our democratic society form an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum, and are covered within citizenship education. Citizenship education is mandatory in secondary maintained schools as part of the national curriculum. Primary maintained schools and all academies are encouraged to cover citizenship as part of their duty to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum.
In citizenship, pupils will learn about the role of Parliament and how citizens can take part in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond. They will also learn about the role of police, courts and justice, free press, human rights and international law, as well as the governments of other countries.
Whilst we do not direct schools to teach about British veterans and the Armed Forces Covenant, schools are free to do so in the context of their citizenship curriculum. Teachers are also able to teach about Britain’s constitutional system, British veterans and the armed forces within other subjects. For instance, the history curriculum can cover political and social movements past and present, as can other subjects such as English when the context is right.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that schools teach young people about the history of the British constitutional system.
Answered by Robin Walker
We want all children to leave school with the knowledge, skills and values that will prepare them to be active citizens in modern Britain.
Teaching about the British constitutional system, political issues, different viewpoints and the way in which pupils can engage in our democratic society form an essential part of a broad and balanced curriculum, and are covered within citizenship education. Citizenship education is mandatory in secondary maintained schools as part of the national curriculum. Primary maintained schools and all academies are encouraged to cover citizenship as part of their duty to deliver a broad and balanced curriculum.
In citizenship, pupils will learn about the role of Parliament and how citizens can take part in democratic and electoral processes to influence decisions locally, nationally and beyond. They will also learn about the role of police, courts and justice, free press, human rights and international law, as well as the governments of other countries.
Whilst we do not direct schools to teach about British veterans and the Armed Forces Covenant, schools are free to do so in the context of their citizenship curriculum. Teachers are also able to teach about Britain’s constitutional system, British veterans and the armed forces within other subjects. For instance, the history curriculum can cover political and social movements past and present, as can other subjects such as English when the context is right.
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the commitment in the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan 2022-24 to improve personalised treatment by clinicians who understand the military environment and specialise in the type of physical health problems veterans may have, what steps his Department is taking to (a) employ those clinicians and (b) train existing clinicians.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
The Veterans Trauma Network uses consultants with military experience who are working within the National Health Service (NHS), either as part of their military role, because they are a reservist or because they used to be a military consultant, to support veterans with service-related physical healthcare needs.
Initiatives to train clinicians to ensure they understand the military environment include the Veteran Friendly GP accreditation scheme, which looks to support general practitioners to learn more about the needs of veterans, and the Veteran Healthcare Covenant Alliance which works to ensure that accredited NHS Trusts have a clinical champion, and that staff are aware of the needs of veterans. There is also a free to access e-learning package on Health Education England’s e-learning platform.
Asked by: Mark Fletcher (Conservative - Bolsover)
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 provisions in the Armed Forces Bill on (a) defence personnel and (b) the Armed Forces Covenant.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
Defence has delivered the Armed Forces Act 2021 to ensure Armed Forces personnel, veterans and their families are better supported when accessing key public services.
The Act enshrines the Armed Forces Covenant in law for the first time to help prevent service personnel and veterans being disadvantaged when accessing essential services like healthcare, education and housing.
Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what progress his Department has made on supporting education and reskilling opportunities for former service personnel in Newport West.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
This information is not held centrally.
Ensuring veterans enter appropriate post service employment is a top priority for this Government.
Eligible Service personnel and veterans can access three schemes: Standard Learning Credit, Enhanced Learning Credit and Publicly Funded Further and Higher Education schemes, which can help individuals pursue their personal and professional development through education. These schemes are available both during their Service and, for two of the schemes, for between five and ten years after discharge, based on the circumstances of departure.
The next iteration of the Veteran Strategy Action Plan will outline the next steps that this Government will take, including on education and reskilling, to deliver its ambition of making this country the best place in the world to be a veteran.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
What progress his Department has made on supporting education and reskilling opportunities for former service personnel.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) promotes lifelong learning.
Eligible Service personnel and veterans can access three schemes which can help individuals pursue their personal and professional development through education, both during their Service and, for two of the schemes, up to ten years after discharge.
In 2019, the MOD introduced Holistic Transition support, building on the highly successful Career Transition Partnership, which has provided employment support and job finding services for the last 20 years.
Asked by: Stuart Anderson (Conservative - Wolverhampton South West)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to enhance access for veterans to a higher education.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The Department for Education co-funds two schemes with the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The Service Leavers Scheme (or Publicly Funded Further Education/Higher Education Scheme) and the Armed Forces Bereavement Scheme contribute to the delivery of the joint cross-government strategy of support for Service Leavers and their families as part of the Armed Forces Covenant, which emphasises the mutual obligation between the nation, the government and the Armed Forces. The Department for Education provides a grant of £5 million to MOD to support the higher education (HE) aspects of these schemes for study in England.
Furthermore, my right hon. Friend, Prime Minister, announced in September 2020 the government’s Lifetime Skills Guarantee, which promises to help people across England get the skills they need at every stage of their life. As part of this, the ‘free courses for jobs’ offer, which started in April 2021, gives an estimated 11 million adults in England who are 24 and over, and do not yet have A levels or equivalent qualifications, the opportunity to take their first level 3 qualification for free.
The Publicly Funded Further Education/Higher Education Scheme provides service leavers access to a first full level 3 (GCE A Level or vocational equivalent), or a first HE qualification (a foundation degree or first undergraduate degree or equivalent) with tuition fees funded to a maximum of £9,250 per year of study. Full details of this scheme can be found at the Enhanced Learning Credits Administration Service website: www.enhancedlearningcredits.com.
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps he is taking to improve awareness of support for veterans.
Answered by Leo Docherty - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for the Armed Forces)
The Government is committed to making access to support for veterans as easy as possible, including raising awareness of what support is available and how promoting it can be accessed. This support includes Veterans UK and NHS services, such as the recently launched Op Courage Mental Health pathway, as well as the charity sector and recently provided funding to the Veterans Gateway. HMG does this through the education and support the MOD provides to those leaving the Armed Forces, with enhanced support such as the Defence Transition Service for those with the most complex needs.