Homelessness Among Veterans
(Blyth Valley) (Con)
2. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to end
homelessness among veterans. (904102)
(Banff and Buchan) (Con)
13. What steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to end
homelessness among veterans. (904118)
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs ()
Research shows that only 0.7% of households who were homeless or
at risk of homelessness in 2021 and 2022 had support needs as a
result of having served in the armed forces, but we will end
veteran homelessness this year via Op Fortitude. This new
referral scheme will provide a central point for local
authorities and charities to identify those in need and refer
them to a network of support.
I am aware that the Minister recently visited Forward Assist,
where he met veterans from the north-east, including from Blyth
and Cramlington in my constituency, and he knows the admirable
work that it does helping veterans overcome challenges such as
homelessness, mental health difficulties and social isolation.
Will he join me in expressing gratitude to everyone at Forward
Assist for its commendable efforts in assisting veterans as they
transition back to civilian life?
My hon. Friend is a huge champion of the charity Forward Assist,
which has done incredible work over a long period. The Government
and I are clear that there are two groups of veterans who are
under- represented in this space. One is foreign and Commonwealth
veterans, and the other is women. We are absolutely determined to
correct that. I recognise that there are difficult issues, such
as military sexual trauma. We launched the women’s strategy only
10 days ago, and I urge all female veterans to contribute to that
so that we can make sure that their needs are met.
I thank the Minister for his response. Can he update the House on
what this Government are doing across all nations of the United
Kingdom to support veterans who are experiencing homelessness,
including in Scotland?
Op Fortitude was something we piloted at Christmas, and it will
go live in the next six weeks. It is a single, defined pathway
out of homelessness that local authorities will be able to refer
into. It is backed up by £8.5 million, and it buys 910 supported
housing placements. That is across the United Kingdom. We do not
want to see any homeless veterans by the end of this year, and we
will strain every sinew to make sure we achieve that goal.
(North Ayrshire and Arran)
(SNP)
Some 90% of veterans who try to claim personal independence
payment for post-traumatic stress disorder have their
applications rejected, according to armed forces charities. This
is leaving veterans facing homelessness, being reliant on food
banks and, in some cases, even considering suicide. Can the
Minister explain why it is that veterans are being forced to rely
on charities rather than being given the help that they need by
this Government?
That question might have been relevant six or seven years ago,
but this Government have completely transformed how we deal with
veterans, particularly vulnerable veterans, in this country, and
recognise that there is a transition between charity and
Government responsibility. If there are any individual cases, I
am more than happy for the hon. Lady to refer them to me. There
has never been better support for armed forces veterans in this
country than that given today, and I am determined that all
veterans will feel the benefit.
(Angus) (SNP)
The Royal British Legion estimated in 2020 that there were up to
4,000 homeless veterans in the UK. In Scotland, there is a duty
to find permanent accommodation for all unintentionally homeless
applicants, including veterans. Will that exemplar be matched in
England and an action group set up? What specifically are this
Government doing to help eradicate homelessness, particularly
with respect to ex-servicemen and women?
I do not recognise those figures at all. There are homeless
veterans in this country, including some who are involuntarily
sleeping rough because of a lack of provision. We are ending that
this year through clear homelessness pathways and through working
with Riverside, Stoll and Alabaré and other brilliant service
charities to make sure that there are no homeless veterans by the
end of this year. Again, if there are any examples, I am more
than happy for hon. Members to write to me and I will take up
individual cases, but we will end it this year. I remind Members
that, if we continue to go around saying that there are lots of
homeless veterans when that is not the case, that will be
self-defeating as we attempt to make this the best country in
which to be a veteran.
Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan: Civilian Life
(Keighley) (Con)
3. What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the
veterans’ strategy action plan on supporting veterans in their
civilian lives. (904103)
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
14. What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the
veterans’ strategy action plan on supporting veterans in their
civilian lives. (904119)
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs ()
We have already completed delivery of over 35% of our strategy
action plan commitments. Veterans are being supported into
employment in the public sector. We are accelerating our
investment to end veteran homelessness. The veterans’ survey has
been a game changer, and Op Courage is delivering more mental
health support than ever before and is on track, despite what the
Opposition might say.
We have many fantastic veterans across Keighley and Ilkley,
including George Metcalf and Pete Western, whom I have met on
numerous occasions to talk about supporting veterans in their
civilian lives. Could my right hon. Friend outline the schemes
available to help increase veteran employment and to assist their
transition into the civilian workplace?
I am clear that having a job—a meaningful job—is the No. 1 factor
that will improve the life chances of any veteran and their
family. We are putting a great deal of resource and time and
effort into that space. On pathways into the public sector, the
STEP into Justice programme gets people into the justice system.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has a veterans employment group.
There are some fantastic employment opportunities. We are trying
to bring it all together so that it is clearer for people. I
commend the work of James Cameron and Mission Automotive in that
space. I would like to see those pathways across different
sectors, and we are looking to roll that out this year.
I recognise the excellent work that is being done by the Minister
and his team. Could he give more detail about Operation Fortitude
in respect of homeless veterans? And while he is on his feet,
could he give a word of praise to Alex Baxter and his team in
Cleethorpes, who do so much for veterans? May I invite him to
visit them some time in the near future?
I of course pay tribute to Alex in Cleethorpes, and to everybody
who works in this sector. I say to the House again that the
nation has a duty to these people. It is not about me, the
Government or charities delivering—it is the nation’s commitment
and we all need to work together. I pay tribute to the charities
that do that work.
Op Fortitude is a referral pathway that will enable anyone who
has served and is at risk of homelessness to get into
good-quality supported housing, to access wraparound care and
treatment for addiction or any comorbidity factors, and
ultimately to upskill and get back into civilian life. It is a
game-changing programme and I am proud to deliver it.
Mr Speaker
Have you got the rail ticket to visit, though?
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
The Minister and I have worked closely together supporting
foreign and Commonwealth soldiers and veterans, so I wonder if he
shares my concern about the case of Vilikesa Tubuitamana. He
proudly served for 18 years, including two tours of Afghanistan
and two tours of Iraq, but sadly his service resulted in severe
PTSD. He was honourably discharged on medical grounds and awarded
£46,000 to help fund his medical needs and a new life.
Shockingly, however, it appears that the Ministry of Defence has
used the money awarded for his PTSD to settle an administrative
mix-up, leaving him—a father of three—penniless. Will the
Minister have a look and see what can be done to support him?
Of course. Clearly, I am not a Minister in the Ministry of
Defence, but I raised this formally with the Minister for Defence
People, Veterans and Service Families earlier this week. I am
aware of that case. I totally accept that there are individual
cases where the results are not in keeping with making this
country the best in the world to be a veteran. That is why I
thank the hon. Gentleman for raising that case. There is a
deficit when it comes to looking after our foreign and
Commonwealth personnel, particularly veterans, in this country.
He has done great work on this over many years in highlighting
their cases, and I hope the sunlight we can bring to this case
can bring us to a fair resolution.
(Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
(SNP)
After my office intervened on behalf of Sandy, who had been
wounded serving in Northern Ireland, by writing to the Secretary
of State, we got an inaccurate response that has left Sandy
feeling even more frustrated about his treatment and his attempts
to get a fairer war pension. Given that the survey by the
all-party group on veterans found that 76% of veterans rated
their experience of claiming compensation through Veterans UK as
poor or very poor, when will there be root-and-branch reform of
Veterans UK? Will the Minister promise to take up Sandy’s case
and review what has been sent to our office?
I am more than happy for the hon. Gentleman to send me his case.
My line on Veterans UK has been the same for four years now.
There are good people who work there and they work very hard in
delivering that service. Governments of all colours have
under-invested in that organisation for many years. When I first
became a Minister, they were working on paper records. Jointly
with the Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service
Families, I have commissioned a review of that service to make
sure that it works for people like the individual who has been
mentioned. I am clear that the service is not good enough in some
areas. We are working on that and I hope that the hon. Gentleman
will see the results of the review, which we launched last week,
in the next three to six months.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Luton South) (Lab)
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs recently commented in the
Express:
“for too long veterans services have suffered from
under-investment, and been over-reliant on paper records and
outdated tech.”
I agree, but I fear that after 13 years in government, despite
the rhetoric and his threat to shave off his eyebrows if he does
not deliver, there is no serious plan to deliver the standard of
services that all our veterans and their families deserve. So
will he confirm what specific resources his office will be
allocated for the implementation of the recommendations of the
cross-departmental veterans’ welfare services review?
I am a huge personal fan of the hon. Lady, but a lot of what she
says in this space is simply not the case. I have written to her
to correct the record. I think she may have inadvertently misled
the House when talking about Op Courage waiting times. There are
problems in this sector and I have spent a long time trying to
correct them, but the reality is that the things she mentions,
such as waiting times for Op Courage, are just factually not
correct. There are areas where we need to work. We have launched
the quinquennial review of compensation schemes. I have been
going down this path for quite a long time. Never before have a
UK Government committed to veterans’ services like the Government
have today. That is the reality of the situation. Being a veteran
now in this country is fundamentally different from how it was
when I started, but I look forward to continuing to work with her
in the months ahead.
TOPICAL
QUESTIONS
(North Devon) (Con)
I thank the Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, my right hon. Friend
the Member for Plymouth, Moor View () for coming to visit the
Veterans Charity in Barnstaple earlier this year. Does he agree
that such charities run by veterans often play an excellent
complementary role to the excellent work his Department is
doing?
The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs ()
I of course pay tribute to the Veterans Charity—it was a
fantastic visit—but I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend’s
advocacy of it over many years. It has been extraordinary. It
provides great services down in the south-west, and I pay tribute
to it.
(Barnsley Central) (Lab)
The Veterans’ Minister and I recently met the hero, Ben
Parkinson. I was certainly concerned to hear that there was not
provision within the system to cover the cost of Ben’s
wheelchair. Could the Minister say whether provision was made in
yesterday’s Budget to cover those costs, and if so, will he take
the opportunity to pay tribute to Ben and his family for their
persistence in making the case?
The hon. Gentleman is referring to the veterans mobility fund. He
is absolutely right: none of these individuals with these
catastrophic injuries should be contributing anything to their
specialist mobility equipment. That is why, yesterday, we managed
to reinstate the veterans mobility fund, and I pay tribute to Ben
and his family for their campaigning on that issue. It is an
important piece of work, and we will make sure we see it through.
Extract from Business
Questions
(Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
(Lab)
Can we have a debate in Government time on the activities of
short-selling attack group Viceroy Research and its leader Fraser
Perring? I am told that it is working hand in glove with Boatman
Capital, which launched the short-selling attack on Babcock
International while it was overhauling our nuclear submarines. Mr
Perring is a not infrequent visitor to Moscow, and is now
targeting Home REIT, which provides homelessness services,
including to homeless veterans. We must ensure that short-selling
groups are not another weapon in Putin’s arsenal. Where there are
links between short-selling attack groups and the Kremlin, we
need to know.
The Leader of the House of Commons ()
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question on a very
important matter. I will ensure that the Security Minister has
heard his concerns. He is overseeing the strengthening of the
architecture in government to identify what is going on behind
particular deals. I do not have details of the case that the
right hon. Gentleman raises, but he will know that in recent
years we have strengthened capacity in government to spot what is
going on and to ensure that everyone is wide-eyed about it. I
will raise this case with the Security Minister.
Extract from Budget
debate (Commons)
(Coventry North West) (Lab):
After years of substandard housing, I also welcome the
Government’s additional funding for our veterans. These brave men
and women have put their lives on the line to protect us and keep
us safe, so the very least that we can do is provide them with
good accommodation and a place to call home.
