The Government launched the £20 million Veterans Capital Housing Fund to ensure the sustainable supply of veteran housing through the refurbishment of affordable rental accommodation and the delivery of new build projects for veterans.

The Fund is a three-year programme with multiple awards planned over that period. Grants supported to date are located in North East England; South East England; and Wales. More details on these grants can be found at https://covenantfund.org.uk/veterans-capital-housing-fund-refurbishment.

The Veterans Welfare Service forms part of Defence Business Services (DBS), and is not an independent entity.

Budgets and staff numbers are allocated within DBS at the delivery of veterans' services level referred to publicly as Veterans UK, and includes the administration of compensation claims, veterans' welfare services, pensions, some support to serving personnel and the running of Ilford Park Polish Home. It is not possible to break this information down to only the Veterans Welfare Service.

The Veterans Services overall budget for financial year (FY)2023-24 was £20.003million and includes the HM Armed Forces Veteran Card project delivery.

The average Full Time Equivalent (FTE) across all Veterans Services for FY2023-24 was 437.91.

This Government is investing record amounts to support our veterans and their families.

The Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan totals more than £70 million from across government, with an injection of a further £33 million in the Spring Budget 2023, topped up by a further £10 million in the Chancellor's Autumn statement. As of 22 April 2024, 58 people work in the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.

UK funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was disbursed before the allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the appalling 7 October terror attack against Israel came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.

The UK provided £16 million this financial year to UNRWA's Flash Appeal in response to the Gaza Crisis, which constitutes 22% of the UK's total humanitarian allocations to Gaza. Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has had no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We are doing everything we can to get more aid into Gaza as quickly as possible by land, sea and air, working with partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.

UK funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) was disbursed before the allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the appalling 7 October terror attack against Israel came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.

We provided £19 million of unearmarked funding this financial year to UNRWA's programme budget. This enabled UNRWA to deliver education, health, relief and social services and protection to 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. The UK also provided £16 million to UNRWA's Flash Appeal in response to the Gaza Crisis, supporting UNRWA to deliver humanitarian assistance, food, shelter, and non-food items for refugees in Gaza.

Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response.

Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands and we are supporting partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.

Prior to April 2023, Op COURAGE was formed from the three separate services of the Transition, Intervention and Liaison service, the Complex Treatment Service, and the High Intensity Service. Performance data for these services did not collect uniquely identifiable information on individual veterans, so it would not be possible to identify instances where a veteran had attended Op COURAGE for more than one course of treatment.

No data is held on the numbers of veterans with gambling addictions that have used Op COURAGE. Data analysed includes the primary mental health reason for referral to Op COURAGE. From April 2023, there have been no referrals to Op COURAGE with a primary mental health reason of gambling addiction. Since April 2023, less than 1.5% of referrals to Op COURAGE have been with a primary mental health reason of either obsessive-compulsive disorder or drug or alcohol difficulties.

Between August 2021 and September 2024, £339,000 has been allocated across the three social prescribing pilot projects which are in Cornwall, Durham, and Dorset. The National Health Service provides wellbeing support to all full-time carers. Veterans who identify as a carer are offered a Carer’s Assessment, which is undertaken by local authorities. The outcome of the Carer’s Assessment will inform a care and support plan, which is bespoke to the needs of the carer.

The Better Care Fund in 2023/24 includes £327 million for carers support, including short breaks and respite services for carers. It also funds advice and support to carers and a small number of additional local authority duties. There is no data on how much of that funding may have been used for veterans.

The UK provided the following funding to UNRWA in each of the last five financial years:

FY 2019 - 20: £65.5 million

FY 2020 - 21: £65 million

FY 2021 - 22: £11 million

FY 2022 - 23: £18.7 million

FY 2023 - 24: £35 million

The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year. We are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.

The NHS Bursary funding arrangements are reviewed annually, ahead of the start of each academic year. For the 2023/24 academic year, the Government uplifted travel and dual accommodation expense rates for the NHS Bursary by 50%, with the exception of travel by public transport, which continues to be reimbursed at cost. We also uplifted disabled students’ allowance, childcare rates, and the means-testing threshold, increasing the amount of funding available to support medical students.

The funding for Armed Forces Champions forms part of the overall allocation for Jobcentre Work Coaches and Leaders. There is no specific funding separately identifiable for the role of either employing or supporting our Armed Forces Champions, however the Department is committed to providing 11 dedicated Armed Forces Champion lead posts who oversee 50 Armed Forces Champions posts across the DWP Jobcentre network.

Our charter for social housing residents is clear that every resident can expect to have their voice heard by their landlord. Empowering residents at the local level to hold their landlords to account is at the heart of our new regulatory framework.

The Regulator of Social Housing has recently consulted on its revised draft consumer standards, one of which is the proposed Transparency, Influence & Accountability standard. This standard will set an expectation that registered providers must take tenants’ views into account in their decision making about how landlord services are delivered. The revised consumer standards will be introduced from 1 April this year.

We are committed to listening to social housing residents. Both my department - through our Resident Panel which enables residents from across the country to directly share their views with government - and the Regulator have forums to ensure that residents’ voices help guide and inform our work. We also have an Expert Challenge Panel, which consults key experts in the sector, including tenant groups. We will continue working to strengthen resident voice and are extending the Resident Panel into 2024/25.

We are currently inviting views from social housing tenants on the proposals for ‘Awaab’s Law’ through the live government consultation and will continue to consult tenants on developments in the social housing sector.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 167159 on 23 March 2023.

Night shelters in Birmingham have also been allocated £301,000.00 from the Night Shelter Transformation Fund 2022-25. This multiyear fund provides faith and community groups with resource to provide self-contained emergency accommodation for rough sleepers.

I am sure the hon. Member will be very, very pleased to read the funding simplification plan we will be publishing in due course.

I refer the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak to the answer given on the 25 July 2022 to Question 37600.

The Government has committed to publishing a workforce plan next year, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years.

The Government has committed to publishing a workforce plan next year, which will include independently verified forecasts for the number of healthcare professionals required in future years, taking full account of improvements in retention and productivity. Funding plans beyond the current Spending Review period will be subject to the outcome of future Spending Reviews.

The department recognises that English language skills are essential to help people integrate into life in the UK, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. That is why we want to support people in the UK to secure the English language skills they need.

The department funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision for eligible adults aged 19 and over through the Adult Education Budget (AEB).

Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and delegated to the Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of adult education and allocation of the AEB in their local areas.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas, where colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB to meet the needs of their communities. Guidance for these providers is set out in the ESFA Adult Education Budget Funding Rules 2022/23, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-aeb-funding-rules-2022-to-2023.

In addition, the department continues to improve the ESOL offer for learners. The department is also ensuring the continued quality of ESOL qualifications through the Qualifications Review. We have also acted quickly to make new arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine under designated schemes immediately eligible for fully or co-funded ESOL through the Adult Education Budget.

The department recognises that English language skills are essential to help people integrate into life in the UK, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. That is why we want to support people in the UK to secure the English language skills they need.

The department funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision for eligible adults aged 19 and over through the Adult Education Budget (AEB).

Currently, approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities and delegated to the Mayor of London acting through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of adult education and allocation of the AEB in their local areas.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas, where colleges and training providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their AEB to meet the needs of their communities. Guidance for these providers is set out in the ESFA Adult Education Budget Funding Rules 2022/23, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-aeb-funding-rules-2022-to-2023.

In addition, the department continues to improve the ESOL offer for learners. The department is also ensuring the continued quality of ESOL qualifications through the Qualifications Review. We have also acted quickly to make new arrivals from Afghanistan and Ukraine under designated schemes immediately eligible for fully or co-funded ESOL through the Adult Education Budget.