The UK continues to galvanise support from the international community. We have worked closely with allies and partners to ensure that Ukrainian Armed Forces requirements are met at pace. The Defence Secretary has hosted two international donor conferences to coordinate aid from 35 partner nations and, via strong participation in the International Donor Coordination Centre, the UK continues to enable support to Ukraine from across the world.

Poland joined the UK at the 2nd International Defence Donors' Conference for Ukraine on 31 March, which was convened by the Secretary of State. The decisions taken at the Conference will see the international community stepping up and increasing the co-ordination of military support to Ukraine.

The Government is now working with Poland, the US and other Allies and partners to co-ordinate the provision of longer-term international support according to Ukrainian requirements, including the provision of air and coastal defence systems, longer-range artillery and counter battery capabilities, armoured vehicles as well as wider training and logistical support.

The percentage of Regular Army applications in the calendar year 2020 which provided a Northern Ireland residence as the home address was 1.8%. This figure has been provided by Analysis Army and has been defined as an online application submitted by an individual and accepted by the Defence Recruitment System.

We strongly condemn such egregious actions perpetrated by the Taliban. While we recognise that the current security situation is serious, we do not believe there is any military solution to this conflict. The Taliban must engage in meaningful dialogue with the Afghan government, to enable a political solution to ensure lasting peace. We will continue to work closely with international and regional partners to support Afghan peace efforts, including through diplomatic support and technical advice.

The Government has delivered the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel & Veterans) Act 2021 (the Act), which delivers on the 2019 manifesto commitment to tackle the vexatious legal claims that undermine our Armed Forces.

The measures of the Act provide reassurance to our Service personnel and veterans that, where an investigation into historical allegations of wrongdoing is referred to the prosecutor for a decision on whether to prosecute, the unique circumstances of overseas operations will be taken into account in their considerations.

The Government has been clear it will introduce a separate legacy package for Northern Ireland that delivers better outcomes for victims, survivors and veterans, focuses on information recovery and reconciliation, and ends the cycle of investigations. The MOD continues to work with the NIO to ensure that the legacy package delivers on the commitments made to Northern Ireland veterans. Government is committed to bringing forward legislation as soon as possible.

The Armed Forces Covenant applies throughout the U.K. but delivery is shaped by local and regional factors and jurisdictions. The Government is making good progress in delivering the Covenant in Northern Ireland, where unique circumstances require a different approach to be taken from the rest of the U.K.

For example, last year Danny Kinahan was appointed as Northern Ireland’s first Veterans Commissioner, to act as a voice and advocate for veterans; additional funding has been secured for the Veterans’ Support Office in Northern Ireland to assist in delivery of the Covenant at ground level; and projects in Northern Ireland received over £1.6million last year from the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust’s £10million per year fund for initiatives across the U.K. that support the Armed Forces Community.

The Ministry of Defence’s review into the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish (Home Service) Aftercare Service (NI ACS) has begun. It is currently considering whether the remit of the Service should be widened to cover all Her Majesty’s Forces veterans living in Northern Ireland with service-related injuries and conditions. The review is due to conclude in March 2022.

Finally, the Government is further incorporating the Armed Forces Covenant into law, in the Armed Forces Bill 2021, and this will apply across the U.K., including in Northern Ireland.

The Government is strongly committed to fulfilling its responsibilities to current and former locally employed staff in Afghanistan. That is why we developed a new Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP), which launched on 1 April 2021. It acknowledges and reflects the fact that the situation in Afghanistan has changed, and with it the potential risk to current and former Locally Employed Staff who worked for the UK Government over the past twenty years. Under the new scheme, any current or former Locally Employed Staff who are assessed to be under serious threat [to life] will be offered priority relocation to the UK regardless of their employment status, rank or role, or length of time served. And local staff who have worked in roles which could have exposed their identities and placed them at risk of reprisals will be relocated to the UK by default. We will continue to monitor events in Afghanistan closely to ensure the implementation of this policy reflects the changing security situation.