![PRESS RELEASE : Announcement of peerages [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/downingstreet-150x122.png)
The press release issued by 10 Downing Street on 29 September 2023.
HM The King has been graciously pleased to signify His intention of conferring the following Peerage of the United Kingdom for Life.
Dame Sue Carr, DBE – Lord Chief Justice Designate
![PRESS RELEASE : New bans and restrictions on polluting single-use plastics come into force [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/environmentlogo-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 September 2023.
Some of the most polluting single-use plastic items banned from 1 October.
Government action to tackle the scourge of litter and protect the environment from plastic pollution ramps up this weekend (Sunday 1 October), with bans and restrictions on a range of polluting single-use plastic items coming into force.
No business – whether retailer, takeaway, food vendor or part of the hospitality industry – will now be able to sell single-use plastic cutlery, balloon sticks nor polystyrene cups and food containers in England. The supply of single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls has also been restricted. The new regulations were announced in January and extensive work has taken place throughout 2023 to provide further guidance on the ban for businesses.
Plastic pollution takes hundreds of years to break down and inflicts serious damage on our ocean, rivers and land. It is also a source of greenhouse gas emissions, from its production and manufacture to the way it is disposed.
Research shows people across England use 2.7 billion items of mostly plastic single-use cutlery and 721 million single-use plates every year, but only 10% of these are recycled. If 2.7 billion pieces of cutlery were lined up, they would go round the world more than eight-and-a-half times.
Environment Minister Rebecca Pow said:
This new ban is the next big step in our mission to crack down on harmful plastic waste. It will protect the environment and help to cut litter – stopping plastic pollution dirtying our streets and threatening our wildlife.
This builds on world-leading bans on straws, stirrers and cotton buds, our single-use carrier bag charge and our plastic packaging tax, helping us on our journey to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.
The Government has engaged closely with industry to support them in getting ready for the new requirements, including by giving them nine months from the publication of its response to the consultation on the ban to prepare and use up excess stock. We have been working closely with relevant
trade bodies and local authorities to help businesses and Trading Standards officers be ready for the new rules.
Responses from the public to the consultation on the ban demonstrated overwhelming support, with 95% in favour of all prohibitions. People and businesses want to do the right thing for the environment and banning these items will be a significant help in reducing plastic waste and littering – plastic cutlery, for instance, was in the top 15 most littered items in the country in 2020.
The ban will not apply to single-use plastic plates, trays and bowls used as packaging in shelf-ready pre-packaged food items as these will be included in our plans for an extended producer responsibility scheme, which will incentivise producers to use less packaging and meet higher recycling targets.
UKHospitality Chief Executive Kate Nicholls said:
Hospitality businesses have made huge strides in reducing their plastic usage and that progress has resulted in the vast majority of venues already eliminating single-use cutlery from their operations, a crucial part of our ambitions to reach net zero.
We’ve been pleased to work with the Government to ensure these new bans and restrictions are also practical for hospitality businesses, all while working towards the nation’s sustainability goals.
Helen Bird, Head of Material Systems at WRAP, said:
Single-use plastics dominate our world, and have even become embedded into the planet itself. This ban is an important moment in tackling the scourge of plastic pollution.
Since 2018, WRAP has worked with businesses under The UK Plastics Pact to eliminate all unnecessary and unrecyclable plastic packaging. Since then, 620 million single use plastic items have been removed from shops. But we must go further, including on plastic packaging on most fruit and vegetables – and help save shoppers money by allowing people to buy what they need.
The Government has set out plans to drive up the repair and reuse of existing materials and increase recycling, including via the ‘Maximising Resources, Minimising Waste’ programme announced in July. This brings together a range of measures backed by government funding to help keep products and materials in circulation for as long as possible and at their highest value, in turn growing the economy and boosting employment.
The single-use plastics ban is part of the Government’s wider world-leading action to tackle the scourge of plastic pollution and eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042. The Government has already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products in 2018 and restricted the supply of plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds in 2020.
The Government also introduced the Plastic Packaging Tax in April 2022, a tax of more than £200 per tonne on plastic packaging manufactured in or imported to the UK that does not contain at least 30% recycled plastic.
Elsewhere, the Government’s hugely successful single-use carrier bag charge has cut sales in the main supermarkets by more than 98% since its introduction in 2015, taking billions of bags out of circulation.
But there is still more to do, which is why the Government is bringing in a deposit return scheme for drinks containers to recycle billions more plastic bottles and stop them being landfilled, incinerated or littered, alongside plans to simplify recycling collections for every household and business in England.
Through the actions of government, businesses and individuals, we are transitioning away from unnecessary plastics and improving sustainability across the public and private sectors. This shift from single-use items is vital as the Government continues its work to protect the environment for future generations.
![PRESS RELEASE : £60 million government investment to transform the school run for 2 million children [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/education-150x111.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Education on 29 September 2023.
More children will have access to walk to school and cycle training programmes over the next 2 years, giving them better road skills.
Up to 2 million more children will have access to walk to school programmes and cycle training programmes over the next 2 years thanks to a multimillion-pound investment announced by Active Travel England (ATE) today (29 September 2023).
The £60 million package will help parents have more confidence to walk or cycle with their kids on the school run by funding initiatives that give more children better road skills and aim to help make it easier for parents to choose greener travel options.
The 2-year funding will include £50 million to expand Bikeability cycle training to a million more young people. This scheme has already delivered training to more than 4 million children since 2007.
A further £5 million will support walk to school programmes aimed at hundreds of thousands of pupils in schools across England via the charity Living Streets.
Chris Boardman, Active Travel Commissioner, said:
Giving kids transport independence and enabling them to walk, wheel or cycle on the school run is what they want, and what we want for them.
This £60 million funding package will help put the joy back into journeys and create a generation of young people who feel confident to make healthier and greener travel choices.
Decarbonisation Minister, Jesse Norman, said:
The government wants children up and down the country to benefit from the freedom as well as the huge mental and physical health benefits of cycling. That is why it is investing £60 million in this package of measures to support active travel for young people.
Schools Minister, Nick Gibb, said:
The journey to and from school is an essential part of the school day for every child, and it’s encouraging that Active Travel England is investing in active travel initiatives for children and young people that can improve their health and wellbeing.
Many schools are already encouraging these initiatives locally and this is being supported with our School Sport and Activity Action Plan, which was published earlier this year.
The plan supports initiatives to increase active and safe travel to school such as Walk to School Outreach, School Streets and Bikeability – and these include inclusive delivery for children with special educational needs and disabilities.
Also included in the package is £4 million to extend Cycling UK’s Big Bike Revival programme to March 2025. The scheme has already engaged over 80,000 people of all ages, helping them learn cycling basics and feel more confident while pedalling.
Meanwhile, an additional £500,000 will fund an extension to the Modeshift STARS and Active Travel Ambassador schemes. The STARS program provides recognition for schools, businesses and organisations that show excellence in supporting and delivering active travel plans in their community. Active Travel Ambassadors work with secondary school students to encourage their peers to travel actively.
Stephen Edwards, Chief Executive of Living Streets, said:
This funding will support even more families to choose active ways to travel to school, boosting the nation’s health, reducing congestion and improving air quality.
Our programmes have been incredibly successful, playing a huge role in helping more children walk to school. We look forward to more pupils and schools joining us and reaping the benefits that come from swapping the school run for a school walk.
Emily Cherry, Chief Executive of the Bikeability Trust, said:
What great news to wrap up Cycle to School Week. We and ATE share an ambition that every child has the confidence to cycle and can enjoy this skill for life. This funding will help us and our brilliant Bikeability instructors, training providers and grant recipients to work towards that ambition this and next year. Together, we can make sure that no child leaves school without the knowledge, confidence and opportunity to cycle.
![PRESS RELEASE : Government to invest further in mentoring and employment opportunities to help reduce offending and violent crime [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/culturemediasport-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 29 September 2023.
Thousands of young people at risk of falling out of education, employment or training once they leave school will be given career mentoring and life skills training to help them succeed in life.
Thousands of young people at risk of falling out of education, employment or training once they leave school will be given career mentoring and life skills training to help them succeed in life.
A new Building Futures programme will offer 14-to-16-year-olds a ‘guiding hand’ as they navigate leaving school, with coaching, careers and educational counselling, plus support for wellbeing and mental health such as dealing with relationships.
Targeted at up to 5,000 young people at risk of not being in education, employment or training after they turn 18, the £15 million programme will give participants a mentor to offer sustained, personalised help and careers guidance.
The move builds on Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer’s aim to give young people ‘someone to talk to, something to do and somewhere to go’ outlined in a recent keynote speech at the Onward Think Tank.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said:
I want every young person to have the chance to thrive, whether they are already on the right path to success or need a guiding hand.
We need mentors and role models and whilst for most young people that will be their parents, teachers or youth workers – some need additional help. So we are providing intense mentoring to give these teenagers a trusted adult to talk to, through one-to-one coaching, to help them navigate life when they leave school.
The funding we are announcing here will enable thousands more young people to develop vital skills and build their confidence – helping unlock employment opportunities for them later in life.
This funding is being allocated to Youth Futures Foundation from the Dormant Assets Scheme, which has unlocked £892 million to date. Dormant assets are financial products, such as bank accounts, that have been untouched for a long period. The Dormant Assets Scheme is led by the financial services industry and backed by the Government, with the aim of reuniting people with these financial assets. Where this is not possible, the money is unlocked for important social and environmental initiatives across the UK, such as funding to tackle youth unemployment.
Barry Fletcher, CEO at Youth Futures Foundation said:
We are delighted that we have been allocated funding to deliver ‘Building Futures’, a pioneering programme to develop and test a package of intensive coaching and careers support for 14-16 year olds to improve their education and employment outcomes.
Building Futures will support up to 5,000 young people through early intervention, helping develop a robust evidence base that could transform our understanding of what works to support those preparing for the transition from secondary school towards further education, employment or training.
The Government has also today announced a new Summer Jobs Programme for up to 2,600 young people at risk of becoming involved in youth violence and crime. These young people will be offered employment placements for up to six weeks, helping improve their job prospects and give them something engaging to do.
Working in partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund and Youth Futures Foundation the programme will focus on areas with the highest crime rates, with young people referred to the programme by local authorities and pupil referral units to be provided with a job mentor and additional training opportunities.
To further support young people at risk of falling through the cracks, the Government is also co-funding at least 100 paid work placements for 9 to 12 months via the UK Year of Service. Funded alongside the NCS Trust, the programme gives 18 to 24-year-olds the chance to be set on a positive path towards long term employment, education or training.
Participants will engage in socially-beneficial roles such as working within conservation and biodiversity, supporting youth community groups, or helping provide local public services. They will receive tailored support and mentoring to grow their skills, as well as having the opportunity to help their local community.
To date, the UK Year of Service has supported over 300 young people and engaged with more than 80 employers, including grassroot charities, across the United Kingdom.
Mark Gifford, CEO of NCS Trust said:
Through the UK Year of Service Pilot we have supported over 330 young people into the world of work. Through engaging with over 80 employers we have been able to offer socially beneficial roles to young people, giving them paid work that pays back.
We are grateful for this support from the government that allows UK Year of Service to move from being a pilot programme to a fundamental part of the NCS Trust portfolio designed to support young people in becoming world ready & work ready.
Today’s announcement builds on the Government’s ‘National Youth Guarantee’, that every young person aged 11 to 18 years old in England will have access to regular clubs and activities, adventures away from home, and volunteering opportunities by 2025, backed by an investment of more than £500 million investment. This includes the Government’s Youth Investment Fund of more than £300 million, of which £160 has been delivered to date. This will allow up to 300 youth centres across the country to be rebuilt or redeveloped, aiming to help 45,000 more young people access regular, positive activities every year.
Earlier this week it was announced that up to 7,500 disadvantaged young people are to be given access to adventures away from home, helping them develop vital life skills and build confidence. The youth work sector is also to be supported with vital funding and clearer guidance for local authorities.
The government also announced plans to help over 30,000 economically inactive 16 -24-year-olds into work by expanding the Youth Offer to a wider group of young people. The support of the Youth Offer, which includes access to Youth Hubs, mentoring from Youth Employability Coaches and more, will give tens of thousands more young people the help they need to get into work.
![PRESS RELEASE : The UK calls for political solutions to end the exploitation and abuse of migrants and refugees in Libya – UK statement at the UN Security Council [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fco-150x150.png)
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.
Statement by Deputy Political Coordinator Thomas Phipps at the UN Security Council meeting on international peace and security.
President, let me begin by thanking Directors Menikdiwela and Liljert for their briefings today.
The UK would also like to thank France and Malta for their efforts in drafting the renewal of UN Security Council Resolution 2652, which we fully support. As we are all aware, Libya is a complex operating environment for tackling migration and human smuggling. All refugees and migrants, regardless of their migration status, should be treated with the humanity and dignity that they deserve.
The UK continues to be deeply concerned by abuses of migrants and refugees in Libya. We continue to call on the Libyan authorities to take steps to end the exploitation and abuse of migrants and refugees, working towards the closure of all detention centres. A more holistic approach is needed to tackle the drivers of migration across Africa and the Western Mediterranean route and we are committed to working closely with member states and the UN to achieve this, and we take note of the recommendations by the UNCHR and the IOM today.
President, the UK also continues to urge the Libyan authorities to comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law, and implement a functioning migration system that respects migrants’ and refugees’ human rights.
Unfortunately, these challenges will sadly endure in Libya in the absence of a political solution, which is why driving forward that process is front and centre of our work. We continue to support SRSG Bathily and the work he is doing to reach an inclusive political agreement, as well as UNSMIL’s wider efforts to support peace and stability in Libya.
President, before concluding, let me also note that we hope the Russia delegation will give equal focus to language on human rights and international law when the Council discusses UNSMIL’s mandate next month.
![PRESS RELEASE : New regeneration plans announced to level up Hull and Sandwell [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/levellingup-150x130.png)
The press release issued by the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on 28 September 2023.
Sandwell and Hull the first areas to benefit from new major bespoke regeneration project.
Sandwell and Hull will be the first areas to benefit from a new major bespoke regeneration project which forms a key part of the Government’s levelling up programme.
Levelling Up Partnerships (LUPs), announced in the Spring Budget, will see tailored regeneration plans rolled out across twenty of England’s areas most in need of levelling up. The areas have been selected based on analysis set out in the Levelling Up White Paper which considered places against metrics such as educational attainment, gross pay, and life expectancy.
Hull and Sandwell have today been confirmed as the first two areas to receive bespoke support, backed up by £20 million each in new funding. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has been working in the areas over the last six months in recognition that areas have unique opportunities and challenges which require place-based solutions. The bespoke LUP policy package has been designed to help address the specific challenges in Hull and Sandwell.
Levelling Up Partnerships are about delivering long term solutions for local areas, working closely with communities on tailored interventions to overcome their unique challenges and seize new opportunities.
That’s why I’m thrilled to be announcing the first two Levelling Up Partnerships in Sandwell and Hull today backed by £40m of government funding.
No matter where you live in the UK, everyone should be given the chance to stay local, but go far”.
Areas will be awarded funding in the coming weeks and DLUHC will continue to work as a committed strategic partner with Hull and Sandwell, to deliver what was agreed in the Levelling Up Partnership and champion a place-based approach across Whitehall.
Hull has a growing green energy sector, with a range of employment opportunities including the manufacturing of wind turbine blades. Working closely with Hull City Council, DLUHC will invest in improved training facilities, including investing in the city’s colleges, which will train the next generation of workers to bring Hull to the cutting edge of the green energy sector.
Sandwell’s LUP is tailored to the area’s historically low educational attainment and health outcomes – it has the highest rate of obesity for children in Year 6 in the country. Sandwell will be given £2 million to improve facilities in the Millennium Community centre, providing space for pop-up health hubs and £1.65 million going towards Wednesbury’s green spaces.
Sandwell has strong transport links to other areas of the West Midlands, with regular trains and buses connecting the area to neighbouring Birmingham and Wolverhampton. Government is working in partnership with the WMCA who recently invested £6.5m into the metro tram extension. To build on this, Sandwell will be receiving up to £11.5m to help deliver 650 homes in the vicinity of new and improving transport infrastructure, including the West Midlands Metro extension from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill.
DLUHC will also be providing £2 million to expand community facilities and £1.65 million to provide vital green spaces that sit at the heart of communities. Similarly in Hull, a growing community support network need the right facilities to connect to the people they serve. To address this, DLUHC is making a £1 million flexible funding pot available to community centres to help improve their premises and ensure people can access public and community services closer to where they live
Wednesbury in Sandwell will receive £4.5m to improve the quality of its town centre through installing new lighting, pedestrian areas, litter bins, and urban greening to help attract new businesses and improve pride in place. Hull will receive capacity funding support to attract private sector investment and make its waterfront area a buzzing space for people to visit, with £10 million being provided to remediate land at its East Bank.
New CCTV and anti-nuisance motorbike measures, such as bollards in pedestrianised zones will help boost local pride in their town centres and, new CCTV cameras in Sandwell will also be used to monitor and tackle fly-tipping. Sandwell has the highest rates of fly-tipping in the West Midlands.
Levelling Up Partnerships are modelled on successful intervention schemes in Grimsby, Blackpool and Blyth. The “deep dive programme” saw DLUHC work with local leaders and businesses to target investment and address the unique challenges each town faced. Blackpool and Grimsby saw huge improvements, including the avoidance of the closure of Grimsby’s fish processing sector and a £100 million regeneration plan being unlocked for Blackpool. In Blyth, the burgeoning high street was being held back by anti-social behaviour and loitering. DLUHC was able to invest and support in additional CCTV provision and establishing a new partnership between local businesses and the police, to help restore confidence in Blyth’s high street.
The Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced the LUPs ahead of a visit today to Sandwell to meet with local leaders, including West Midlands Mayor Andy Street and Leader of Sandwell Council, Cllr Kerrie Carmichael, to discuss the new plans.
This Levelling Up Partnership delivers very welcome funding for local projects that will make a real difference in the lives of local people. That impact covers a wide range of areas including enhancing job prospects, reinvigorating town centres like Wednesbury, ensuring a better start in life for young people and providing opportunities to get more active in nearby green spaces.
This funding will strengthen communities and boost economic growth. I’m particularly pleased to see more than £11m earmarked for the clean-up of the former sewage works at Friar Park – paving the way for a new urban village. The size of more than 32 football pitches, this is one of the largest brownfield sites in the country – set to be transformed with the construction of more than 600 new homes. The WMCA has been working closely with Sandwell Council on this scheme and this announcement is great news for the project.
Local collaboration – in partnership with Government – will enable us to continue to change lives for the better right across our region in the months and years ahead.
Since the Spring Budget announcements, DLUHC has reached out to all areas due to form part of a Levelling Up Partnership – details of subsequent regeneration packages will be made public over the course of the next 18 months. We are establishing details of the Partnerships with Bassetlaw, Mansfield, Redcar & Cleveland and Middlesbrough.
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki at the UN Security Council meeting on the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Let me begin by thanking SRSG Keita, the Permanent Representative of Gabon as the Chair of the 1533 Committee and Ms Modi for their briefings today. I welcome the participation of Deputy Prime Minister Lutundula and the Permanent Representative of Rwanda in our meeting.
President, the UK fully supports the work carried out by MONUSCO, especially in protecting civilians. We commend the mission and SRSG Keita for their continued efforts in increasingly challenging circumstances.
We remain extremely concerned by the fragile situation in eastern DRC. Regional peace processes should be respected and all support to armed groups must stop.
We acknowledge the DRC’s request to bring forward MONUSCO’s withdrawal and welcome the government’s commitment to ensuring this process is progressive and responsible.
We want to see a handover from MONUSCO to DRC authorities. There has already been significant progress in this regard in recent years, with MONUSCO withdrawing from the Kasais and Tanganyika. Lessons learnt from these processes should inform MONUSCO’s withdrawal from other provinces.
In preparation for the further withdrawal of MONUSCO, we encourage the Mission to continue transitioning tasks to the Congolese state, and, where appropriate, the UN Country Team and other international partners.
The UK is ready to consider further consolidation of MONUSCO’s footprint and a reduction of the troop ceiling during MONUSCO’s mandate renewal in December, in line with the Government’s request to accelerate withdrawal.
However, we must also carefully consider the implications of MONUSCO’s drawdown on the civilian population. The consequences of a rushed departure would be severe. In addition to extensive support to the Congolese security forces in operations against armed groups, MONUSCO currently protects thousands of civilians in eastern DRC. While the UN and international partners can play a supporting role, the Government must be willing and able to assume its responsibilities on civilian protection.
We encourage the Government of DRC to agree responsibilities for a responsible, conditions-based drawdown with MONUSCO. This should include a sustainable plan for providing security in those areas from which MONUSCO withdraws.
President, the UK fully supports the Nairobi and Luanda peace processes, which are key to tackling the underlying drivers of conflict.
In conclusion, we look forward to engaging with all stakeholders on MONUSCO’s future during the mandate renewal, and ensuring that we uphold our responsibility as a Council to support peace and stability in the DRC.
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 28 September 2023.
The FCDO Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty and the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, John Watson gave a joint UK-EU statement on 28 September 2023.
Joint statement by the Alternate Co-chairs of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee following their meeting on 28 September 2023:
The United Kingdom and the European Union today held a meeting of the Withdrawal Agreement Joint Committee, co-chaired at alternate level by the FCDO Minister for Europe, Leo Docherty MP and the Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission, John Watson.
The Joint Committee took stock of discussions under the Withdrawal Agreement framework since the last meeting on 3 July 2023. The alternate co-chairs welcomed the progress made and reiterated their mutual commitment to continued work to ensure the full implementation of all the elements of the Windsor Framework in a faithful way.
In the context of the implementation of Joint Committee Decision No 1/2023, the European Union made a Declaration pursuant to Article 23(4)(a) and the United Kingdom made a Declaration pursuant to Article 23(4)(b). The Joint Committee also adopted Decision No 4/2023.
The press release issued by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on 28 September 2023.
Allocating £350 million of dormant assets funding equally across the four English purposes.
The Dormant Assets Scheme aims to reunite people with their financial assets, such as bank and building society accounts. Where this is not possible, the money is unlocked for important social and environmental initiatives across the UK. Over the last decade, the Dormant Assets Scheme has unlocked £982 million for social and environmental initiatives across the UK.
Following a public consultation, the government confirmed that the purposes of the English portion of the funds made available would be youth, financial inclusion and education, social investment wholesalers, and community wealth funds. The government also committed to publishing a statement of intent, outlining its intended allocations across these four causes.
The Dormant Assets Scheme is expected to release £350 million for England over 2024 and 2028. The government intends to allocate this equally between the four causes:
Further details of these intended allocations will be published in due course.
Find out more about the Dormant Assets Scheme.
![PRESS RELEASE : Thousands of veteran cards to be rolled out this year [September 2023]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/cabinetoffice-150x120.png)
The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 28 September 2023.
Thousands more veterans will receive HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards by the end of the year thanks to a £3 million injection to expand the roll-out to veterans who left service before 2018.
Thousands more veterans will receive HM Armed Forces Veteran Cards by the end of the year thanks to a £3 million injection to expand the roll-out to veterans who left service before 2018.
The ID card will allow veterans to quickly and easily prove their veteran status where required, granting them simpler access to key support from the NHS, charities and local authorities. They can also be used to apply for Defence Discount Service Cards and the Veterans Railcard.
Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer visited a facility in Gosport today to see progress made on the ID card rollout, and met with veterans who are already benefiting from the scheme.
Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Rt Hon. Johnny Mercer MP said:
Veteran cards provide ex-service men and women with a tangible connection to the important contributions they have made to the defence of our nation.
We are honouring our commitment to getting ID cards into the hands of veterans by the end of the year so that they can more easily access support.
The veterans I met today are excited about the benefits on offer – benefits which will only continue to grow for them over the coming years as civilians.
Since December 2018, the MOD has been automatically issuing all service leavers with a physical veterans’ card as part of their service leavers pack. When the service opens up later this year, veterans – including all those who left service before 2018 – will be able to apply for a new ID card.
As of July 2023, 71,000 veterans’ cards have already been issued for those who left after 2018. Production will soon start to ramp up to 50,000 cards a month for those who left before that.
Lt Gen Sir Nicholas Pope, Chair of Cobseo, the Confederation of Service Charities said:
Veterans who need timely help, either from the state or from the charity sector, are often frustrated by delays in confirming their status. Veterans’ ID cards provide a significant step forward in speeding up this process and we look forward to supporting their delivery to the entire veteran community.
In the Veterans’ Strategy Action Plan (2022-2024) the government committed to exploring the secure, digital verification of veterans’ status, allowing veterans to access a wider range of government services, as well as speeding up Phase 2 of the rollout of ID cards.
With around 2.2 million veterans in the UK, the government has made a £3 million investment to build the technology and processes to deal with large volumes of card applications accurately and securely. This includes testing the online application process with 4,000 veterans to refine the system.
The launch date for this service will be announced by the end of the year. A paper-based application process will also be made available for veterans who are unable to use the online service.
The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has been leading government efforts to make the UK the best country in the world to be a veteran. This includes launching Op FORTITUDE, a new housing pathway earlier this year, and providing medallic recognition to nuclear test veterans.