We thank the French Government for making the offer to award the Legion d'Honneur to all those UK Servicemen who were involved in the liberation of France in 1944. So far the Ministry of Defence has passed in excess of 2,500 applications to the French Authorities.

We continue to receive and process applications on a daily basis and this week we anticipate a further 200 applications will be passed across to the French Authorities.

The UK's ex-Service community is largely elderly; almost half are over age 75 and 64% are over age 65. It is important that this country meets their needs, just as they answered the needs of their country; meeting the call of the nation during the First and Second World Wars, through national service, voluntary enlistment and the reserve forces.

To support this community, £5 million of LIBOR funding has been made available every year for the next five years for any UK veterans who are surviving World War Two veterans, those who undertook National Service and other voluntary enlisted veterans who, by virtue of their age, may need some focused support in relation to their health and social care needs.

The funds will not provide benevolence payments to individuals. Charities can bid for money to provide practical support and/or companionship to this group of veterans to improve their wellbeing. This might also include projects to build or enhance access to centres where elderly veterans can meet, or to promote the education of elderly veterans' needs, research and other support mechanisms.

The Ministry of Defence intends to administer the fund through a dedicated grant scheme. The terms of this scheme are being developed and will be announced in due course.

We are grateful to the Royal British Legion for taking the time to continue to work with Departmental officials to assess this issue. We are committed to continuing those conversations with a view to considering the issue as part of the upcoming Spending Review that will take place post-election.

The information is not held in the format requested. However, the table below shows the number of ex-Service personnel judged to have used the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) services and found employment within six months of leaving service in Financial Years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Notes

1. Ex-Service personnel are classified as employed if they are in paid employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces (full-time permanent role; part-time out of choice; contract job for at least six months).

2. Information on employment outcome is based on a 20% sample of ex-Service personnel who have used the Career Transition Partnership service.

The information on the number of Service personnel who have used the Career Transition Partnership service is not held by each region and constituent part of the UK. However, the attached tables provide the number of Service personnel who have received the Employment Support Programme and the Full Support Programme by resettlement centre from calendar year 2005 to 2014.

The information is not held in the format requested. However, the table below shows the number of ex-Service personnel judged to have used the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) services and found employment within six months of leaving service in Financial Years 2011-12 and 2012-13.

Notes

1. Ex-Service personnel are classified as employed if they are in paid employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces (full-time permanent role; part-time out of choice; contract job for at least six months).

2. Information on employment outcome is based on a 20% sample of ex-Service personnel who have used the Career Transition Partnership service.

The information on the number of Service personnel who have used the Career Transition Partnership service is not held by each region and constituent part of the UK. However, the attached tables provide the number of Service personnel who have received the Employment Support Programme and the Full Support Programme by resettlement centre from calendar year 2005 to 2014.

The Troops to Teachers participants are still undertaking their training. The first cohort of trainees began the two year programme in January 2014 and are due to complete their training in December 2015. The second cohort began in September 2015 and will complete their training in August 2016.

A total of nine trainees have withdrawn from the programme, from across both cohorts.

The first Troops to Teachers participants are still undertaking their training. The first cohort began training in January 2014, so all of the current trainees have served 14 months on the programme. The second cohort started training in September 2015, therefore current trainees have served 6 months on the programme.

Information on the numbers of civilian staff in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) who previously served in the Armed Forces is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

As at 1 January 2015, the Ministry of Defence employed 160,700 Service personnel and 64,010 civilian staff. This equated to proportions of 71.5% and 28.5%, respectively. Further analysis of recent trends in Service and civilian personnel strengths can be found in Table 2.03.1 of the Department's 'Bulletin 2.03 - Service and Civilian Personnel' report (revised on 22 January 2015) which can be found at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/396759/Bulletin2.03_Personnel_Bulletin-Final_2014_Revised.pdf#page=8

The data relating to the numbers of ex-soldiers joining the Army Reserve is detailed below:

The current Commitment Bonus scheme, introduced in April 2014, provides staged payments over three years of up to £10,000 to ex-Regular personnel providing they meet a set of entry criteria relating to rank, length of Regular Service, levels of training, medical status and training obligations once serving in the Reserve.

This replaced an earlier scheme launched in April 2013 that gave payments of up to £5,000 across three years, again providing an individual met the correct criteria. Details of both schemes are set out in the table below:

All Jobcentre staff are trained to support customers whatever their needs, including those who have left the armed forces, and are aware of the specialist help available within their area. Armed Forces champions have also been put in place as part of Jobcentre Plus’ commitment to supporting the Armed Forces, their families and veterans. The key role of the champions is to ensure the support, advice and guidance offered by Jobcentre Plus reflects the needs of service leavers and the wider armed forces community in their district, and to ensure Jobcentre staff have the information they need to best support claimants who have left the Armed Forces.

There are two cohorts of trainees on the Troops to Teachers programme. There are 8 female trainees in the first cohort and 12 in the second cohort. This is just under a quarter (24%) of the total participants across both cohorts.

No trainees have declared themselves as Black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME).

We are in the process of introducing fundamental reforms to how we pay for care and support that will make the system fairer for everyone, including veterans. At the moment, someone who is unfortunate enough to have the highest care needs may risk losing all they have to meet the cost of their care. These reforms will mean that, for the first time ever, everyone will be protected from the risk of catastrophic care costs. The proposals are currently out for consultation and can be found at www.careact2016.dh.gov.uk. A copy is attached.

Personal injury compensation paid to veterans and civilians has always been fully disregarded provided the money is placed in a Trust. The War Pensions Scheme, which is available to those injured prior to April 2005, provides a range of allowances some of which were designed to pay for ongoing care costs and that is why these payments have been taken into account under the care and support charging rules. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, introduced for those injured from April 2005, operates differently. Officials in the Department are working with the Royal British Legion to review this issue and assess how the rules could be aligned in future to ensure fair treatment of veterans under both of these schemes.

We are in the process of introducing fundamental reforms to how we pay for care and support that will make the system fairer for everyone, including veterans. At the moment, someone who is unfortunate enough to have the highest care needs may risk losing all they have to meet the cost of their care. These reforms will mean that, for the first time ever, everyone will be protected from the risk of catastrophic care costs. The proposals are currently out for consultation and can be found at www.careact2016.dh.gov.uk. A copy is attached.

Personal injury compensation paid to veterans and civilians has always been fully disregarded provided the money is placed in a Trust. The War Pensions Scheme, which is available to those injured prior to April 2005, provides a range of allowances some of which were designed to pay for ongoing care costs and that is why these payments have been taken into account under the care and support charging rules. The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, introduced for those injured from April 2005, operates differently. Officials in the Department are working with the Royal British Legion to review this issue and assess how the rules could be aligned in future to ensure fair treatment of veterans under both of these schemes.