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Tag: Cabinet Office

  • PRESS RELEASE : Around £1.8bn to be saved by government plans to overhaul back office systems [March 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Around £1.8bn to be saved by government plans to overhaul back office systems [March 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 9 March 2023.

    Updated figures have been released as part of the two year anniversary of the Shared Services Strategy, which sets out how departments will find efficiencies by working more closely together.

    • The savings are expected to be made over next 15 years in Whitehall efficiency drive
    • Modern technology and automation being used to free up civil servant time
    • Services of all government departments brought together in clusters to make better use of data across departments

    Around £1.8 billion could be saved over the next 15 years in the latest Whitehall drive to modernise costly back-office systems across the civil service, according to initial government estimates.

    The Shared Services Strategy for Government was launched two years ago to offer better value for money for the taxpayer through the use of cheaper and more efficient HR and finance systems.

    In the last 24 months, significant developments have been made, including the creation of five ‘clusters’ which will bridge gaps between 18 departments and more than 100 arms length bodies to create a single system used by all for the first time.

    Individual departments replacing their own systems would cost more than £1.7 billion whereas the shared services clusters estimate that they will generate around £1.8 billion pounds of benefits for around £900 million cost. This would be delivered through £500m of financial savings and £1.3bn in efficiencies.

    Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

    The strategy was created to offer better cross-government, streamlined services that relieve the burden of bureaucracy. We want to free up civil servants’ time to focus on what they do best: engaging with, and delivering for the British public.

    This transformational programme is underway and demonstrates the important steps we’re taking to be more collaborative.

    The strategy offers greater interoperability by linking different back-office computer systems and making better use of real time data. This will help join up departments and present a clearer workforce picture. The new structure could be critical for future cross-government challenges, ensuring the government is more resilient to urgent crises.

    Examples of ‘clusters’ include Defence which brings the services of the Ministry of Defence, Armed Forces and veterans together which will ensure departments are working off the same HR and finance systems to deliver major savings for the taxpayer.

    Another example is the ‘Hera programme’ which has been implemented by the Overseas cluster. It centred around moving three very different legacy business systems into one within six months. It has transformed business processes and offered a new finance and HR system with wider capabilities for over 20,000 FCDO civil servants.

    Nathan Moores, Shared Services Strategy Director, said:

    I’d like to thank all colleagues across the five Clusters, the functions including Civil Service HR, Government Finance Function, Crown Commercial Service and the Functional Convergence Programme for their hard work, dedication and commitment to collaborating on the strategy over the last two years.

    I’m so proud of what has been achieved so far, we have seen phenomenal progress, collaboration and delivery across government. We are on a journey to ultimately improving the daily working lives of civil servants by creating more joined-up systems and services, saving time and money for the taxpayer.

    I look forward to working with all colleagues over the next 12 months and delivering further milestones set out in the strategy.

    This year sees the strategy moving full force into delivery mode. Clusters will procure goods and services by engaging with suppliers and will aim for final business case approval.

  • PRESS RELEASE : £1 billion in potential annual savings to be realised through stepped up efficiency drive [March 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : £1 billion in potential annual savings to be realised through stepped up efficiency drive [March 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 March 2023.

    The Evaluation Taskforce has awarded more funding for projects to improve evaluation.

    • Four new projects have been awarded funding to help test and evaluate new approaches within government
    • Up to £1 billion to potentially be saved through modernisation and automation of services
    • Other projects include using mobile network data to support electric vehicle uptake
    • Fund forms part of a wider push from ministers to drive efficiencies in new ways

    New projects within government which could save the taxpayer up to £1 billion have been launched by the Cabinet Office.

    The four new projects announced today are part of the Evaluation Task Force’s Accelerator Fund, which provides money to departments to improve evaluation of policy within government.

    The Fund is the latest demonstration of the government’s drive to ramp up the use of data to provide financial and efficiency savings to ensure the best value of public money from new policies or interventions.

    One project, which will drive forward improvements in government services, could see £1 billion of taxpayer’s money saved through shifting services to digital channels, reducing paper use and automating processes. This includes through the use of phone-bots and automated processes to cut out unnecessary processes.

    More than £1.2 million of funding has been awarded to teams tackling issues such as cutting costs through digital transformation and mapping the use of electric vehicles.

    Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin said:

    This is a government with innovation at its core and it’s vital that we channel that in the right way, ensuring decisions made by the government are data-driven.

    This funding will help teams drive innovation across government, creating the tools and data departments need to become more efficient and drive value for money. I’m looking forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on public services.

    The four projects awarded a total of £1,285,000 via the Evaluation Accelerator Fund will test and develop new data-driven approaches to policy-making and evaluation. It builds on £12.2 million awarded across 16 projects in the first round of funding last year.

    Teams across Whitehall and the What Works Network were invited to place bids for ideas that would test and evaluate the impact of new policies or approaches to delivering public services.

    The bids needed to demonstrate how they would provide robust evidence of financial or efficiency savings, tying in with the wider push within the government to ensure taxpayers are receiving the best possible value for their money.

    One successful bid which has received £500,000 from the Accelerator Fund will see the Cabinet Office evaluate how service improvements, such as reducing the use of paper and demand on customer service teams, can help unlock savings across government. Improvements may include the replacement of physical signatures with e-signatures, or the use of electronic notifications, for example SMS and social media, instead of paper.

    Around £450,000 also went towards work being undertaken by the Department for Transport exploring how mobile network operator (MNO) data can be used to support initiatives targeting electric vehicle uptake and usage. It is hoped that mobile data, including geographical spread, charging locations and distances travelled, can be used to help locate charging infrastructure where it’s needed most, as well as providing a more comprehensive evaluation of electric vehicle usage across the country.

    Last year a project led by the College of Policing was awarded £1.7 million to help test new ways at preventing violence against women and girls. The funding is now being used to further evaluate the use of Rapid Video Response (RVR) for domestic abuse, having previously been trialled by Kent Police. Findings from the Kent trial showed that it had increased victim satisfaction, with the average wait time to speak to an officer reduced to three minutes. Financial efficiencies, based upon the findings of the initial trial, were calculated to be between £119,000 – £190,000 per annum. Replication of RVR in other forces and testing of different uses of the same technology will identify the potential of this approach across the country.

    Another project led by the Ministry of Justice and HM Prison and Probation Service was awarded over £933,000 to tackle drug misuse in prisons by monitoring wastewater. Following successful fieldwork, the trial is due to launch later this year.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New Women Veterans’ Strategy to look at experiences of former female service personnel [March 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New Women Veterans’ Strategy to look at experiences of former female service personnel [March 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 6 March 2023.

    The Office for Veterans Affair has announced its intention to publish a Women Veterans’ Strategy.

    • Women Veterans’ Strategy to be developed by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs (OVA)
    • The strategy will look at the specific needs and challenges faced by women veterans, and celebrate their successes
    • Areas set to be considered in the upcoming strategy include mental health support, physical welfare and employment

    Challenges faced by women who leave the services are to be considered as part of the UK Government’s first Women Veterans’ Strategy, which is due to be launched later this year by the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.

    Through the strategy, the Government will tackle areas where women veterans might be missing out on support, as well as any accessibility issues, within the wide variety of services already being delivered for the veteran community.

    There are more than 235,000 women in England and Wales who have proudly served in our Armed Forces. However, women veterans have been reported to face issues accessing support services, particularly where those services are inadvertently orientated towards men.

    Looking at the particular needs and challenges faced by women veterans compared to their male counterparts, the OVA will identify what further support may be given to women veterans to meet their specific needs. Working with experts in academia, charities and other government departments, this will cover areas such as mental health, physical welfare and employment.

    The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Johnny Mercer said:

    Making this country the best place in the world to be a veteran shouldn’t just be something we say, but something we do.

    In order to deliver this ambition, it’s vital that we listen to women veterans, celebrate their successes, and deliver the support they need. That’s what the new Women Veterans’ Strategy will do.

    The OVA plans to publish the Women Veterans’ Strategy later this year.

    In developing the strategy the OVA will outline what support is already being delivered across the UK and what more may need to be done, both by the Government and across wider support services.

    To support the strategy, the OVA has commissioned research into the accessibility of services available to women veterans and the experiences of women in interacting with existing support. The research is due to report back this summer, with recommendations being used in the development of the strategy.

    The launch of the Women Veteran’s Strategy comes after the OVA and the Ministry of Defence launched a wider review of veterans’ welfare services, which is designed to examine their effectiveness and efficiency, answering the calls of relevant stakeholders.

    The OVA is already engaged, through the recently announced Veterans Health Innovation Fund, with a number of projects looking to understand the specific needs of women veterans. This includes Northumbria University’s work to assess the impacts of military service on women veterans, and with the University of Exeter and IonaMind who will develop AI supported interventions to treat depression and anxiety in women veterans.

    The strategy will also be an opportunity to celebrate the successes of women veterans and the valuable contributions they make to their communities, and to wider society and the economy.

    The work is all part of the Government’s commitment to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Government steps up counter-fraud skills and capability [March 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Government steps up counter-fraud skills and capability [March 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 March 2023.

    Ambitious new plans for stepping up the government’s fight against fraud have been unveiled today, as the Public Sector Fraud Authority unveil their new strategy for the Counter Fraud Profession.

    Ambitious new plans for stepping up the government’s fight against fraud have been unveiled today (Thursday 2 March).

    The Counter Fraud Profession Strategy outlines how the new Public Sector Fraud Authority (PSFA) will increase the skills, standards and capability of staff within government and beyond working on protecting public services from fraud.

    As well as investing in counter fraud investigation skills, the cornerstone of the profession, the new strategy increases the focus on skills in fraud prevention and identification.

    The government is also upskilling those that lead public sector counter fraud work and ensuring the 7,000 counter fraud professionals working across the public sector continue to develop their knowledge and skills. This will include 250 fraud risk experts trained by the end of 2023.

    Cabinet Office Minister Baroness Neville-Rolfe said:

    The challenge we face from fraud is stark. That is why I am proud to announce the launch of the updated Government Counter Fraud Profession Strategy, which will continue to enhance the capability and expertise of those fighting hard to protect taxpayers’ money.

    Apprenticeships are also a key focus of the new strategy, with the PSFA launching in 2024 a new Apprenticeship in Counter Fraud. This will run alongside the existing Fraud Investigation Apprenticeship.

    The new strategy has been developed and will be delivered in collaboration with government, law enforcement and industry counter fraud and learning experts. It will create a diverse and skilled pipeline of counter fraud talent to prevent fraud against the public sector.

    The Public Sector Fraud Authority is partnering with experts including from Cifas, University of Coventry and the Australia Commonwealth Fraud Prevention Centre to deliver the strategy.

    It is estimated the cost of fraud and error against the public sector is at least £33 billion per year. Although often hidden, fraud is the most pervasive crime in the UK and must be rooted out.

    Mark Cheeseman, Interim CEO of the PSFA and Head of the Government Counter Fraud Profession said:

    Fraudsters are a committed, capable and evolving adversary and the public sector is just as affected by this hidden crime as other sectors.

    The launch of the new Government Counter Fraud Profession (GCFP) strategy sets out how the government is investing in building and modernising its fraud fighting capability.

    The GCFP was launched in 2018 to develop a common structure for counter fraud capability across government and for those leading the fight against the crime.

    At its inception the Profession had 3,000 members across 17 organisations including HM Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Serious Fraud Office.

    Since then it has grown exponentially and it now has around 7,000 members across 48 organisations, including policing and local government.

  • PRESS RELEASE : New Government Chief Scientific Adviser Appointed [February 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : New Government Chief Scientific Adviser Appointed [February 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 20 February 2023.

    Professor Dame Angela McLean has been appointed as the new Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

    The Cabinet Secretary is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS as the new Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA). Dame Angela, who is currently Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence, was selected by the Prime Minister following an open competition. Dame Angela will be the first woman to hold the role of GCSA and will take up the post on 1 April.

    The role of the GCSA is to provide independent scientific advice to the Prime Minister and members of cabinet, advise the government on aspects of policy on science and technology and ensure and improve the quality and use of scientific evidence and advice in government.

    The GCSA is also Head of the Government Science and Engineering Profession and is part of the executive team of the newly formed Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

    The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak welcomed the appointment and said:

    Delivering improved public services, creating new jobs and growing our economy through cutting-edge industries can only be made possible by advances in science, technology and innovation.

    I’m delighted that Dame Angela is taking on this role to advise the government on how we make this happen – building on Sir Patrick’s instrumental work over the past five years, which included helping the country through some of our greatest challenges from the pandemic to climate change.

    Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, Michelle Donelan said:

    The UK is starting a hugely exciting new chapter in our future in scientific innovation and I congratulate Dame Angela McLean on her appointment as the new Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

    Dame Angela is well respected across the science community and I hope this appointment will inspire more women and young girls to see STEM subjects as an exciting career choice.

    I look forward to working with her to build on the immense work of Sir Patrick Vallance to ensure that the UK remains at the forefront of the science and technology revolution.

    The Cabinet Secretary, Simon Case said:

    This is an excellent appointment for the Civil Service, to a vital position for the government and the country. I congratulate Angela on her role and look forward to the contribution she will make in leading the science community across government.

    I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Patrick for his outstanding contribution and commitment to public service, evident not only in the leading role he played during the Covid-19 Pandemic but also in the great strides he has made in improving scientific capability across government.

    Commenting on her new role, Dame Angela said:

    I am delighted to take on this role at such an important time in our country for Science Innovation and Technology. All of us in government are going to greatly miss Sir Patrick, and I look forward to working with colleagues to build on the work he has led during his time as GCSA.

    My long-term mentor, the late Lord Robert May, held the post of GCSA between 1995 and 2000 and that personal connection adds a particular depth to my sense of honour in being asked to take on this role.

    Biography – Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS

    Professor Dame Angela McLean DBE FRS has been the Chief Scientific Adviser for the Ministry of Defence since September 2019.

    She is a Professor of Mathematical Biology in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University, and a Fellow of All Souls College. Her research interests lie in the use of mathematical models to aid our understanding of the evolution and spread of infectious agents.

    She is also interested in the use of natural science evidence in formulating public policy and has co-developed the Oxford Martin School Restatements: an activity which restructures and presents the evidence underlying an issue of policy concern or controversy in a short, uncharged, intelligible form for non-technical audiences.

    During the Covid-19 pandemic she regularly attended SAGE and co-chaired SPI-M-O, the sub-group of SAGE that prepared advice for government using epidemiology, data analysis and mathematical modelling. In those roles she played a substantial part in generating scientific advice for government on the management of the pandemic.

    She established Mathematical Biology at the Biotechnology and Biological Science Research Council’s Institute for Animal Health in 1994. Before this, Angela was a Royal Society Research Fellow at Oxford University and a Research Fellow at the Institut Pasteur in Paris.

    As the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) to MOD, Dame Angela is its principal adviser on science and technology, with responsibility for directing research through the MOD’s core S&T research portfolio.

    In 2009 Angela was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society. She has been awarded the Gabor Medal in 2011 and the Weldon Memorial Prize in 2018. She received her damehood in the 2018 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Experiences of nuclear test veterans to be further recognised as £200,000 fund opens for bids [February 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Experiences of nuclear test veterans to be further recognised as £200,000 fund opens for bids [February 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 15 February 2023.

    Charities and Organisations across the UK are set to benefit from £200,000 in funding, as a funding scheme is opened to build community led programmes to recognise and support nuclear test veterans and their families.

    • The Office for Veterans’ Affairs has today made £200,000 available to organisations to bid for in support of nuclear test veterans.
    • Organisations will be able to bid for up to £70,000 each to run community led programmes that help to recognise and support Nuclear Test Veterans and their families.
    • The fund represents a crucial further step in our continued drive to recognise the historic contributions of nuclear test veterans to our nation’s security.

    Charities and Organisations across the UK are set to benefit from £200,000 in funding, as a funding scheme is opened to build community led programmes to recognise and support nuclear test veterans and their families.

    The fund which opens today for organisations to apply, comes off the back of the announcement last November of a medal to recognise the service of nuclear test veterans.

    The cohort of veterans, known as nuclear test veterans, are ex-service personnel who contributed to Britain’s nuclear testing programme, including serving in Australia and the south Pacific between 1952 and 1967.

    Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said:

    To this day the nuclear deterrent remains the cornerstone of our defence and that is substantially due to the service and contribution of the brilliant nuclear test veterans.

    It is only right that we support and recognise the experiences of our nuclear test veterans, so future generations can learn from their experiences.

    The funding provided today kickstarts that process, and I look forward to seeing the fantastic projects put forward by our third sector partners.

    In order to receive funding the projects must satisfy at least one of three criteria, directly support nuclear test veterans and their families, memorialise nuclear test veterans and their experiences, or provide educational activities to raise public awareness of their service. The decisions on funding will be made by a government steering group.

    The funding opening for bidding today is a further step in recognising the contributions made by our service personnel during the height of the Cold War, at a key moment in our history as a nation. The funding will allow projects to progress at speed, to honour those who were involved in keeping our country safe.

    The Office for Veterans’ Affairs will also continue their work with academic institutions to create a living history project, further raising awareness of nuclear test veterans and their experiences.

    • Organisations can apply for funding here.
  • PRESS RELEASE : More women to be supported back into STEM jobs in Government-backed training [February 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : More women to be supported back into STEM jobs in Government-backed training [February 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 11 February 2023.

    More women will be helped back into the workplace following the launch of a Government-backed training programme.

    • Women facing work barriers due to caring to be helped back to careers
    • Minister for Women and Equalities invests in pilot to get returners into STEM
    • 43% of STEM vacancies are hard to fill; women make up 29.4% of the STEM workforce; 75,000 STEM returners want to get back to work

    Today on the International Day of Women and Girls in Science the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch, has launched a new initiative to help people back into science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) based careers.

    The scheme – backed by £150,000 of Government funding – will be run by Women Returners and STEM Returners and will target those who have taken lengthy career breaks to care for others, giving them the skills they need to succeed in the workplace.

    Minister for Women and Equalities, and Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch MP, said:

    “I learned how to code at the age of seven and trained as an engineer, so I know the importance of science to our economy.

    “In the last decade we have seen more girls studying STEM subjects at school and university, but we know that too many women later drop out of those careers because they need to care for children or elderly relatives.

    “We are investing in returners so we can plug the STEM gap, increase workplace equality, and boost our economy. That’s good business sense.”

    Between 2009 and 2020 there was an almost 30% increase in girls starting STEM A-levels in England, and between 2011 and 2020, the number of women accepted to full-time STEM undergraduate courses increased by 50.1% in the UK. But in 2020 women only made up 29.4% of the STEM workforce in the UK.

    According to the UK Commission’s Employer Skills Survey 2013, 43% of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) vacancies are hard to fill. But there were approximately 75,000 people who were economically inactive due to caring responsibilities, had not worked for at least 12 months, had a STEM occupation immediately before their career break, and would like to return to work in the future. The majority of these potential returners are women.

    Minister for Women, Maria Caulfield MP, said:

    “STEM jobs make up a large proportion of our economy, but there is a shortage in STEM employees and 75,000 STEM returners who want to get back to work. We know there are women across the country who have left their jobs to care for elderly relatives or children, and want to return to work.

    “This pilot will help organisations to recruit those who are too often overlooked because of a gap on their CV.”

    Women Returners, experts in return to work consulting, coaching and networking, will support parents and carers back into the workplace through personalised employability support, sector-specific refresh training, and work opportunities.

    The STEM ReCharge pilot will provide support and training to technology and engineering returners in the Midlands and the North of England. It will also provide support and training for STEM employers on supportive returner hiring and inclusive recruitment practices.

    Julianne Miles, CEO of Women Returners, said:

    “We are thrilled to be partnering with the Government Equality Hub and STEM Returners to launch the innovative STEM ReCharge programme in the Midlands and the North of England. There is a pressing need in these regions to provide this job-readiness support tailored to parents and carers returning to STEM, together with training for STEM employers to create more supported routes back to work for career returners. We’re confident that this comprehensive programme of support will help to accelerate the removal of the career break penalty in the UK.”

    Natalie Desty, Director of STEM Returners, said:

    “We are delighted to be supporting the Government Equality Hub in increasing the opportunity for Returners in STEM and lowering the barriers they face when they try to resume their careers. This programme will allow us to continue our mission to help create a diverse, inclusive and equitable STEM sector. We are especially delighted to be collaborating on this project with Women Returners, as working together we can achieve more.”

    The Government has already funded 25 returner programmes across the private and public sectors. This includes providing a £1.5 million grant fund to support projects in the private sector, as well as targeting key professions in the public sector, such as social workers and health professionals. Guidance for employers on how to support returners, and a toolkit for those on their return to work journey, is also available via the GOV.UK website.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Encouraging diversity in public appointments [February 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Encouraging diversity in public appointments [February 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 8 February 2023.

    Public boards should reflect the diversity of society and welcome a range of skills and experience, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office has said at an event encouraging greater disability inclusion in Public Appointments.

    Public bodies play an important role in public life across the UK in sectors from healthcare to education, criminal justice to trade, energy, security and defence. Roles of public bodies include NHS England, the British Museum, Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission, the Parole Board, the Royal Parks, VisitBritain, Forestry Commission, National Park Authorities, and the Big Lottery Fund.

    Appointees to the boards of public bodies provide leadership, strategic direction, and hold public bodies to account; or they provide specialist expertise. That is why the Minister has highlighted the importance of making public bodies more representative of the country.

    Published figures show that 46% of our public appointees are women, 11% are from an ethnic minority background and 8% report having a disability.

    Addressing a talent pool within the disabled community at a reception hosted by the Cabinet Office, Korn Ferry and Purple, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Minister of State said:

    The makeup of public boards ought to reflect our diverse society; welcoming a wide range of skills, experience and expertise. Involving more people on boards from across the country is very important to me and we are continuing our programmes of regional outreach to this end.

    We have to continue to find ways of attracting the best in class which means encouraging  talented people of all backgrounds from across the UK to join public boards. We must continue to ensure representation of all groups and improve accessibility, ensuring opportunities are open to all.

    The government is working to make the Public Appointments process more accessible for candidates. For example, location should no longer be a barrier to appointment, with boards facilitating participation in board activities remotely for disabled board members where appropriate and if the board member would like to do so.

    In May 2022, the Public Appointments team launched a new, improved digital service for public appointments built to meet government accessibility standards. This project will help to open up public appointments to more people by helping the government to better target future interventions to support both new applicants and appointees.

  • PRESS RELEASE : First-of-its-kind veterans dashboard launched as new census data emerges [February 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : First-of-its-kind veterans dashboard launched as new census data emerges [February 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 7 February 2023.

    The Government is stepping up its use of data with a new dashboard showing information about the veteran community.

    • Dashboard launched to bring together veterans’ data from different public bodies for the first time.
    • Data will be regularly updated, allowing individuals and organisations to monitor progress.
    • It comes as the ONS releases more data on the veteran population in England and Wales.

    The Government is stepping up its use of data with a new dashboard showing information about the veteran community.

    The Veterans Data Dashboard from the Office for Veterans’ Affairs, allows the public to scroll through data in areas such as population, housing, mental health and employment.

    The dashboard will provide a snapshot to the public, veterans and service providers so they can learn about the community, as well as the different services offered by the government to support veterans.

    It comes as the Office for National Statistics released new data from the 2021 Census on the veteran population. The data covers areas such as age, health, gender and ethnic and religious breakdown.

    Minister of Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said:

    In order to step up services for veterans and standardise support across the country, we need a better picture of the community we’re serving.

    So it’s a key part of our job at the Office for Veterans’ Affairs to improve the data we have on the veteran community and today shows that we’re making good strides forward.

    Data and evidence is at the heart of our veterans policy and I encourage everyone to check out the new dashboard.

    The dashboard will be updated regularly as new data emerges and marks another step forward for the Office for Veterans’ Affairs.

    Alongside the release of the dashboard, the Office for National Statistics have released further findings and analysis from the 2021 Census. For the first time, the demographic characteristics of our veteran population, including age, gender, nationality and reported health, are revealed.

    The data shows that of the total (just over 1.85 million) UK armed forces veteran population in England and Wales, 13.6% were women and 86.4% were men. It also provides insights into the reported health of veterans, with veterans reporting their overall health similarly to the general population, when adjusted for age and gender.

    The ONS is working to further analyse the Census 2021 data set, which for the first time included a question on if the respondent was a veteran.

  • PRESS RELEASE : Veterans charity born out of DIY SOS going “from strength to strength” [February 2023]

    PRESS RELEASE : Veterans charity born out of DIY SOS going “from strength to strength” [February 2023]

    The press release issued by the Cabinet Office on 2 February 2023.

    Veterans Minister Johnny Mercer and DIY SOS presenter Nick Knowles visited Hull 4 Heroes today to meet charity staff and volunteers supporting veterans

    Charity supports veterans across the City of Hull, North Riding and North Lincolnshire

    A charity born out of inspiration from a veterans project on DIY SOS has been praised for helping ex-service personnel in north-east England.

    Today, Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer and DIY SOS Presenter Nick Knowles visited Hull 4 Heroes.

    The charity, which has previously benefited from funding via the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, was founded in 2016 and provides crucial support services to veterans in Hull, North Riding and North Lincolnshire. Services provided by the charity include employment support, training, woodwork, cookery and mental health.

    On the visit Mr Mercer met with veterans to learn more about how the charity helps people in the area, including through making large and small scale renovations to existing properties which veterans live in.

    The Minister was given a tour of the warehouse facilities the charity runs, which stores personal possessions of ex-service personnel while they are moving or finding a new house. The charity also provided a Virtual Reality tour of their flagship project – a brand new housing development called the Veterans Village.

    The Veterans Village will see the construction of a housing and rehabilitation site for veterans as they transition into civilian life. The 22 acre site will contain a residential area, training and support facility and a visitor centre.

    Minister for Veterans’ Affairs Johnny Mercer said:

    It was a pleasure to visit the Hull 4 Heroes team with Nick Knowles today to learn more about the work they are doing to help ensure our veterans enjoy a smooth and successful transition to civilian life.

    The valuable skills they are teaching offer a stable platform for those looking to get back into work, enabling employers across the UK to fully appreciate just how valuable our veterans can be.

    Hull 4 Heroes was founded by Paul Matson, a veteran himself, who built a successful business following a difficult period after leaving the armed forces. His charity was created on the back of getting involved with the show DIY SOS Big Build on a veterans project in Manchester, called Veterans Street. As a consequence of seeing the success of this project, he decided to establish his own veterans support hub in Hull with the help of other members of the local armed forces community.

    The Office for Veterans’ Affairs recently announced Op Fortitude, a single referral scheme for homeless veterans to access supported housing and wrap-around specialist care. Along with more than £8.5 million in funding for charity support services in veterans housing units, the scheme will ensure veterans homelessness is ended in 2023.

    Following the success of a temporary pathway set up for the Christmas period last year, the referral scheme is being designed, taking forward lessons learned, and will launch in Spring this year.