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Written question asked by Lord Laird (Non-affiliated) on Monday, 15 June 2015, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 29 June 2015. It was answered by Earl Howe (Conservative) on Monday, 22 June 2015 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces Covenant: Northern Ireland

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Northern Ireland only received a grant of £50,000 from the armed forces covenant (Libor) fund of £35 million which was shared amongst 96 armed forces charities and causes across the United Kingdom.

Answer

I am very pleased that, as a result of the Chancellor's decision in 2012 to transfer £35 million of Libor money to support the Armed Forces community, the fund has supported 96 charities and good causes in a variety of ways across the UK.

While it is correct that only one of the successful grant applications is designed to solely benefit the Northern Irish Armed Forces community, we anticipate that this community will benefit from a number of UK-wide projects which have received funding.

This year sees the implementation of a permanent commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant through a £10 million per annum Covenant Fund, which will be open to applications from across the whole of the UK. Details about the scheme will be announced later this year and I hope that we will see strong applications which will benefit the Armed Forces community in Northern Ireland.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL501
Session
2015-16
Subjects
Charities Fines Northern Ireland Armed forces covenant LIBOR
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk