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421674

registered interest
date	15/10/2015
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, what steps he is taking to ensure that local authorities uphold the Military Covenant.
tabling member constituency	Westmorland and Lonsdale
tabling member printed	Tim Farron
uin	12078
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2015 answer text <p>For information on this Department's engagement with Local Authorities on the Armed Forces Covenant I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September 2015 to Question 8395 to the hon. Member for Northampton South (Mr Mackintosh).</p><p>http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-09-04/8395/</p><p>In addition, since I provided that answer I have also met with the Chairman of the Local Government Association and with the Minister for Housing and Planning at the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG). We are collectively planning to review the work undertaken by Local Authorities to deliver the Covenant and expect to complete this by March 2016. This will help to further identify best practice and where to target future work.</p><p>The Minister for Housing and Planning will write to all Local Authorities setting out examples of best practice and reminding them of the need to honour their commitments under the Covenant. I will also address a conference of Local Authority Community Covenant Champions in London on 4 November 2015. I hope that members' Local Authority Armed Forces Covenant champions will be there.</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 20/10/2015 16:21:18 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton attachment 1 file name 20150910_8395_Armed_Forces_Covenant.docx title 20150910_QnA_Extract_on_AF_Covenant
tabling member	1591 label Biography information for Tim Farron

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

385728

registered interest
date	25/06/2015
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 27 June (HL501) regarding the distribution of the armed forces covenant (Libor) fund, who selected the charities for funding; when; and on what basis.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL852
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/07/2015 answer text <p>In 2013, the Government made £35 million available to deliver Armed Forces Covenant commitments from fines levied on banks for the attempted manipulation of Libor. The cross-Government Covenant Reference Group, which is chaired by the Cabinet Office and includes representatives from key Government Departments, the Devolved Administrations, the Service charity sector, and the three Service Families Federations, set the priorities for the fund. The first two tranches focused on mental health and support for Service families, while the third tranche was open to any project meeting the principles of the Covenant.</p><p> </p><p>In 2014, a further £40 million of Libor funds were made available specifically to support veterans with a housing need via the Veterans Accommodation Fund (VAF). The criteria and application process for both schemes were published on gov.uk.</p><p> </p><p>Both funds were administered by the Armed Forces Covenant team. Against the agreed priorities, applicants had to demonstrate evidence of need, experience of providing a service and value for money. A decision panel was convened to agree the final allocation of funding.</p><p> </p><p>The panel for the £35 million fund sat three times between 2012 and 2014 and included representatives from the Ministry of Defence Covenant and Financial Governance teams, H M Treasury, COBSEO, the three Service Families Federations, and the Welsh and Scottish Governments.</p><p> </p><p>The panel for the VAF sat on 7 July 2014 and included representatives from the Ministry of Defence Covenant and Financial Governance teams, H M Treasury, the Welsh and Scottish Governments, the Army Families Federation, The Royal British Legion and COBSEO Housing Cluster.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe question first answered 06/07/2015 15:18:31 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

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

381405

registered interest
date	16/06/2015
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, what the regional distribution of money raised by fines issued for Libor manipulation has been in each year since its introduction.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	2716
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/06/2015 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 2 June 2015 to Question 428 to the hon. Member for St. Helens North (Mr McGinn).</p><p>http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2015-05-28/428/</p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster question first answered 22/06/2015 15:40:40 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton attachment 1 file name Hansard Extract HOC 428.doc title Armed Forces Covenant
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones

347251

registered interest
date	28/05/2015
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	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask Her Majesty’s Government, since it began, how much armed forces covenant funding has been allocated to projects in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland.
tabling member printed	Lord Laird
uin	HL115
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/06/2015 answer text <p>I refer the noble Lord to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mark Lancaster), in the House of Commons on 2 June 2015 to Question number 428 from the hon. Member for St. Helens North (Conor McGinn).</p><p> </p> answering member printed Earl Howe attachment 1 file name 20150601-40M Veterans Accommodation Fund[1].doc HL 115.doc title Veterans Accomodation Fund 2 file name 20150601-35M LIBOR Fund(2).xls HL 115.xls title LIBOR FUND (Excel Spreadsheet) question first answered 08/06/2015 15:20:24 answering member 2000 label Biography information for Earl Howe
tabling member	2479 label Biography information for Lord Laird

347382

registered interest
date	28/05/2015
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, what organisations in each region have benefitted from the Armed Forces Covenant (Libor) Fund; and how much each such organisation has received.
tabling member constituency	St Helens North
tabling member printed	Conor McGinn
uin	428
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2015 answer text <p>Information held centrally by the Ministry of Defence on the distribution of the £35 million LIBOR Fund and the £40 million Veterans Accommodation Fund is provided in the attached documents. Information on the £35 million LIBOR Fund is collated by country rather than region.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Milton Keynes North answering member printed Mark Lancaster attachment 1 file name 20150601-40M Veterans Accommodation Fund[1].doc title Veterans Accomodation Fund 2 file name 20150601-35M LIBOR Fund(2).xls HOC 428.xls title LIBOR FUND question first answered 02/06/2015 15:42:34 answering member 1544 label Biography information for Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
tabling member	4458 label Biography information for Conor McGinn

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

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

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