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228517

	registered interest
	date	19/03/2015
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in funding to local authorities on their ability to support Armed Forces Community Covenants.
	tabling member constituency	Barnsley Central
	tabling member printed	Dan Jarvis
	uin	228485
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/03/2015 answer text <p>Local authorities share in our national commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant, and have signed Community Covenants committing to support the Armed Forces community in their area and promote understanding amongst local people. Local councils and residents will know the needs of their communities and can decide their spending priorities appropriately.<br><br>We have introduced a number of measures over the last few years as contribution towards meeting the objectives of the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure that the Armed Forces Community does not face disadvantage, patricularly in housing. This includes:<br><br><strong>Funding for local authorities</strong><br><br>We have set aside £200,000 in 2014/15 from the annual Disabled Facilities Grant funding for local authorities to fund home adaptations (eg ramps, walk-in showers, stairlifts) to meet the needs of disabled ex-service personnel who wish to live independently in their homes.<br><br>We have provided grants (totalling over £1 million) with MOD, to a small number of local authorities in 2011 and 2012 to support the successful integration of retired Gurkha soldiers who wished to settle in the UK.<br><br><strong>Improved access to social housing</strong><br><br>We have introduced protection to ensure that former and current Service personnel are not disadvantaged in accessing social housing because of the disadvantages of military life. We have made sure that seriously injured personnel and former members of the Armed Forces with urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing, and that serving personnel and those who have recently been discharged do not lose their qualification rights because of the requirement to move from base to base.<br><br>We have also encouraged local authorities to, in general, give sympathetic consideration to the housing needs of family members of serving or former Service personnel.<br><br><strong>Preventing homelessness</strong><br><br>We have introduced measures to provide support for specialist accommodation for veterans, and work with councils to prevent homelessness. We have also introduced initiatives such as Streetlink and No Second Night Out which ensure that when veterans end up sleeping rough they are offered care and support from local services.<br><br><strong>Access to home ownership</strong><br><br>Members of the Armed Forces have been given priority for Government-funded shared ownership schemes and are able to access Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. The priority status can be transferred to bereaved spouses or civil partners. We have also worked with MOD, credit reference agencies, and Royal Mail to standardise Forces' Post Office addresses so personnel are not disadvantaged when applying for mortgages.<br><br></p> answering member constituency Keighley answering member printed Kris Hopkins question first answered 24/03/2015 12:04:46 answering member 4043 label Biography information for Kris Hopkins
	tabling member	4243 label Biography information for Dan Jarvis

168860

	registered interest
	date	09/12/2014
	answering body	Department for Communities and Local Government
	answering dept id	7
	answering dept short name	Communities and Local Government
	answering dept sort name	Communities and Local Government
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what resources his Department has allocated to local authorities to meet their obligations under the Armed Forces Covenant.
	tabling member constituency	West Dunbartonshire
	tabling member printed	Gemma Doyle
	uin	217899
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/12/2014 answer text <p>Local authorities share in our national commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and should meet their obligations from own resources. Though we have set aside £200,000 in 2014/15 from the annual Disabled Facilities Grant funding for local authorities to fund home adaptations (eg ramps, walk-in showers, stairlifts) to meet the needs of disabled ex-Service personnel who wish to live independently in their homes.</p><p> </p><p>We have provided grants (totalling over £1 million) with MOD, to a small number of local authorities in 2011 and 2012 to support the successful integration of retired Gurkha soldiers who wished to settle in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>We have also introduced a number of measures over the last few years as a contribution towards meeting the objectives of the Armed Forces Covenant to ensure that the Armed Forces Community do not face disadvantage, particularly in housing. This includes:</p><p> </p><p><strong>Improved Access to Social Housing </strong></p><p> </p><p>We have introduced protection to ensure that former and current Service personnel are not disadvantaged in accessing social housing because of the disadvantages of military life. We have made sure that seriously injured personnel and former members of the Armed Forces with urgent housing needs are always given high priority for social housing, and that serving personnel and those who have recently been discharged do not lose their qualification rights because of the requirement to move from base to base.</p><p> </p><p>We have also encouraged local authorities to in general give sympathetic consideration to the housing needs of family members of serving or former Service personnel.</p><p><br><strong>Preventing Homelessness </strong></p><p> </p><p>We have introduced measures to provide support for specialist accommodation for veterans, and work with councils to prevent homelessness. We have also introduced initiatives such as Streetlink and No Second Night Out which ensure that when veterans end up sleeping rough they are offered care and support from local services.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Access to home ownership</strong></p><p> </p><p>Members of the Armed Forces have been given priority for Government-funded shared ownership schemes and are able to access Help to Buy: equity loan scheme. The priority status can also be transferred to bereaved spouses or civil partners.</p><p> </p><p>We have also worked with MOD, credit reference agencies and Royal Mail to standardise Forces’ Post Office addresses so personnel are not disadvantaged when applying for mortgages.</p> answering member constituency Great Yarmouth answering member printed Brandon Lewis question first answered 15/12/2014 15:37:51 answering member 4009 label Biography information for Sir Brandon Lewis
	tabling member	4063 label Biography information for Gemma Doyle

458056

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2016
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many of the signatories to the Corporate Covenant are (a) educational establishments, (b) public health bodies, including NHS foundation trusts, (c) ambulance trusts and (d) private sector limited companies.
	tabling member constituency	Berwick-upon-Tweed
	tabling member printed	Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan
	uin	29938
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2016 answer text <p>As at 8 March 2016 a total of 891 organisations had signed a Corporate Pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant. The requested breakdown is provided below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Educational establishments (including training companies)</p></td><td><p>79</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which, schools, colleges and universities</p></td><td><p>41</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Public Health Bodies (excluding Ambulance Trusts)</p></td><td><p>25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which, NHS Foundation Trusts</p></td><td><p>12</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ambulance Trusts</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Private companies</p></td><td><p>763</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which, private companies with ‘Limited’ in their name</p></td><td><p>355</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster grouped question UIN 29937 question first answered 10/03/2016 15:59:28 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan

228108

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in (a) England, (b) Northern Ireland, (c) Scotland and (d) Wales (i) have benefited and (ii) are expected to benefit from the LIBOR funding for armed forces and veterans' organisations that has been granted in each tranche to date.
	tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Moor View
	tabling member printed	Alison Seabeck
	uin	228140
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>For information on the distribution of the £35 million LIBOR Fund and the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 March 2015, to Question 221590 to the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr Coaker).</p><p>http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-01-21/221590/</p><p>Subsequent to that answer there been two further announcements about LIBOR funded projects:</p><p> </p><p>Gurkha Homes Project: £960,000 to Gurkha Homes Limited for various locations across England.</p><p> </p><p>Scottish Veterans' Garden City Association (SVGCA) Future Shared Ownership Consortium: £551,190 for Houses for Heroes in Scotland.</p><p> </p><p>As the hon. Member will have seen, the Chancellor announced in the Budget on 18 March that a total of £450 million of LIBOR fines had been used by this Government to support the Service charities and other good causes, including a further £75 million of funding over the next five years.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the numbers of people who have benefited, or who may benefit, from this funding. However, given the scope of some of these projects, we anticipate that - at a minimum - this will run into the tens of thousands.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry grouped question UIN 228139 question first answered 23/03/2015 17:01:50 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry attachment 1 file name HOC 221590 3 March 2015.doc title Hansard Extract Tuesday 3 March 2015
	tabling member	1552 label Biography information for Alison Seabeck

458054

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2016
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many signatories there are to the Corporate Covenant to date; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Berwick-upon-Tweed
	tabling member printed	Mrs Anne-Marie Trevelyan
	uin	29937
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2016 answer text <p>As at 8 March 2016 a total of 891 organisations had signed a Corporate Pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant. The requested breakdown is provided below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Educational establishments (including training companies)</p></td><td><p>79</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which, schools, colleges and universities</p></td><td><p>41</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Public Health Bodies (excluding Ambulance Trusts)</p></td><td><p>25</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which, NHS Foundation Trusts</p></td><td><p>12</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Ambulance Trusts</p></td><td><p>5</p></td></tr><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p> </p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Private companies</p></td><td><p>763</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>of which, private companies with ‘Limited’ in their name</p></td><td><p>355</p></td></tr></tbody></table> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster grouped question UIN 29938 question first answered 10/03/2016 15:59:28 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4531 label Biography information for Anne-Marie Trevelyan

228104

	registered interest
	date	18/03/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much LIBOR funding to date has been awarded to organisations or projects that benefit from the wider armed forces community (a) nationwide, (b) in England, (c) in Northern Ireland, (d) in Scotland and (e) in Wales.
	tabling member constituency	Plymouth, Moor View
	tabling member printed	Alison Seabeck
	uin	228139
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/03/2015 answer text <p>For information on the distribution of the £35 million LIBOR Fund and the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 March 2015, to Question 221590 to the hon. Member for Gedling (Mr Coaker).</p><p>http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-01-21/221590/</p><p>Subsequent to that answer there been two further announcements about LIBOR funded projects:</p><p> </p><p>Gurkha Homes Project: £960,000 to Gurkha Homes Limited for various locations across England.</p><p> </p><p>Scottish Veterans' Garden City Association (SVGCA) Future Shared Ownership Consortium: £551,190 for Houses for Heroes in Scotland.</p><p> </p><p>As the hon. Member will have seen, the Chancellor announced in the Budget on 18 March that a total of £450 million of LIBOR fines had been used by this Government to support the Service charities and other good causes, including a further £75 million of funding over the next five years.</p><p> </p><p>The Ministry of Defence does not hold information on the numbers of people who have benefited, or who may benefit, from this funding. However, given the scope of some of these projects, we anticipate that - at a minimum - this will run into the tens of thousands.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry grouped question UIN 228140 question first answered 23/03/2015 17:01:50 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry attachment 1 file name HOC 221590 3 March 2015.doc title Hansard Extract Tuesday 3 March 2015
	tabling member	1552 label Biography information for Alison Seabeck

178480

	registered interest
	date	09/02/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department has spent on (a) television, (b) newspaper, (c) online, (d) radio and (e) other forms of advertising using the phrase Armed Forces Covenant since January 2012.
	tabling member constituency	Cardiff South and Penarth
	tabling member printed	Stephen Doughty
	uin	223837
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/02/2015 answer text <p>There were no expenses captured centrally. If there are expenses of this kind, they would be at a very local level, and would be extremely difficult to trace.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Broxtowe answering member printed Anna Soubry question first answered 23/02/2015 17:38:39 answering member 3938 label Biography information for Anna Soubry
	tabling member	4264 label Biography information for Stephen Doughty

416166

	registered interest
	date	04/09/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how the Government monitors feedback on the Armed Forces Community Covenant; and what steps he is taking to strengthen this covenant.
	tabling member constituency	Northampton South
	tabling member printed	David Mackintosh
	uin	8395
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2015 answer text <p>The Secretary of State provides an annual report to Parliament on progress delivering the commitments in the Armed Forces Covenant. Importantly this report includes unedited comments from the three Service Family Federations and key representatives of the Armed Forces charity sector (including the Confederation of Service Charities, the Royal British Legion and SSAFA). This independent assessment, in conjunction with the engagement of these organisations with the Cross Government Covenant Reference Group (CRG), and my personal engagement with them as the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans, provides an essential strand of continuous feedback on all elements of the Covenant, not just the Community Covenant.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is also able to draw on the results of annual continuous attitude surveys, which provide a comprehensive picture of the views of our personnel on key issues, including the Covenant. We also have a network of personnel deployed regionally with responsibility for engaging with Local Authorities on the Covenant.</p><p>The previous Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, the right hon. Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), wrote to each local authority in Great Britain underlining the importance of the Community Covenant and inviting them to provide details of the actions they have taken since signing the Community Covenant. This information is being used to support a broader body of work aimed at sharing and promoting best practice across Local Authorities. It builds on the three regional Community Covenant Conferences (Bristol, Manchester and Leicester) run by the MOD earlier in the year, as well as the Community Covenant event hosted at the Local Government Association annual conference in June.</p><p>Annual funding of £10 million will continue to support all 407 Local Authorities who have signed up to the Community Covenant and made a commitment to support their local Armed Forces community. The Community Covenant remains an essential strand in supporting the Armed Forces and we are committed to its successful implementation. I encourage all colleagues to engage their Local Authority on the actions they are taking to uphold the principles in the Covenant. We all have a shared responsibility for its delivery at a local level.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 10/09/2015 16:26:20 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4431 label Biography information for David Mackintosh

384570

	registered interest
	date	22/06/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make it his policy that all government procurement contracts for goods and services include an obligation to sign up to and fulfil the armed forces corporation covenant.
	tabling member constituency	York Central
	tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
	uin	3354
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/06/2015 answer text <p>The Corporate Covenant provides an excellent opportunity for businesses and other organisations to declare their support for members of the Armed Forces community. To date, across the UK, more than 590 companies have pledged their support and the number is growing steadily. The Secretary of State for Defence has written to the FTSE 350 companies to challenge them to sign the Corporate Covenent.</p><p>European Union (EU) procurement law does not permit the contract award procedure or any contract condition to discriminate against any supplier in the EU. An obligation to sign up and fulfil the Corporate Covenant is likely to disadvantage suppliers outside the UK, although we encourage potential suppliers to sign up to the pledge in every invitation to tender we issue. This is a voluntary approach that allows each organisation to reach their own decisions about the level of support they provide.</p> answering member constituency Ludlow answering member printed Mr Philip Dunne question first answered 29/06/2015 15:35:11 answering member 1542 label Biography information for Philip Dunne
	tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

429032

	registered interest
	date	18/11/2015
	answering body	Ministry of Defence
	answering dept id	11
	answering dept short name	Defence
	answering dept sort name	Defence
	hansard heading	Armed Forces Covenant
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428, what progress has been made in ensuring funding from the Armed Forces Covenant (Libor) Fund is distributed across the UK; and which organisations in each region of the UK have benefited from that fund to date.
	tabling member constituency	St Helens North
	tabling member printed	Conor McGinn
	uin	16834
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2015 answer text <p>Further to my answer of 2 June 2015 to Question 428 which detailed the information held centrally by the Ministry of Defence. The final project under the Veterans Accommodation Fund (VAF) was announced on 20 July 2015 and that was for £50,000 to the RAF Benevolent Fund, for replacement windows at Forge House in England. The £40 million VAF and the £35 million LIBOR Fund have now closed.</p><p>This year saw the implementation of a permanent commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant through a £10 million per annum Covenant Fund, and will be ring-fenced from the UK Defence Budget. Assessments of the first-round of small grants (up to £20,000) are currently taking place and those selected will be announced around the New Year. The deadline for the second round of applications is 17 December 2015.</p><p>The deadline for expressions of interest for the large grant scheme (£20,000 to £500,000) has now closed. Those projects accepted for round two will also be informed by 26 November 2015, the deadline for stage two applications is 13 January 2016 with stage two decisions communicated by 10 March 2016.</p><p>Although we welcome applications from across the whole of the UK, these will be selected on the basis of defined criteria. The selection panel is made up of MOD officials, sector experts and representatives from each of the Devolved Administrations.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 23/11/2015 17:31:56 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
	tabling member	4458 label Biography information for Conor McGinn