§ Ms KellyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department offers to current service personnel to assist their reintegration into civilian life; what assessment has been undertaken on the impact of this assistance; and what is the annual cost of providing this assistance. [142034]
§ Mr. SpellarResettlement and career transition services for those leaving the regular armed forces are core elements of the Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy.
The range of services which currently exist to assist service personnel with the process of re-entering civilian life includes housing and finance briefings, workshops, seminars, relevant training and job finding. The range of activities and the amount of time available to individuals to undertake them depends on length of time served in the regular armed forces. The most comprehensive assistance 160W is available to those with at least five years reckonable service, although those who are medically discharged at any time after the completion of basic training are also eligible for the full service. This assistance is provided in the form of a partnership between my Department and Coutts Consulting Group, and is known as the Career Transition Partnership (CTP). The CTP also offers a job-finding service for those who have at least three years of reckonable service. A lesser level of support is available to those who have served less than three years in the armed forces. The CTP, which commenced operations on 12 October 1998, has its own dedicated website, www.ctp.org.uk.
A Veterans Advice Unit also exists and provides a single point of contact for ex-service personnel seeking advice on where to obtain expert help on individual issues.
The main assessment of the impact of resettlement assistance has been carried out against the CTP contract. Over the period from contract inception to March 2000, the CTP achieved a success rate of 54 per cent. of service leavers achieving employment immediately on discharge, with 93 per cent. achieving employment within six months of discharge. From the 15,000 or so discharged service leavers over the same period, complaints about the quality of service were running at a rate of less than 1 per cent.
The total cost of MOD's resettlement support includes staff costs of personnel involved in resettlement matters; the cost of allowing service personnel to attend resettlement related events, including their Individual Resettlement Training Grants and associated travel and subsistence costs; the cost of the CTP contract with Coutts Consulting Group; the costs of running the MOD establishments where CTP services are offered; and the costs of providing the contractor, under Government Owned, Contractor Operated arrangements, with equipment to enable him to run certain types of training course.
Much of this cost is not held centrally and could be provided only at • disproportionate cost. The largest element of the cost, that of the CTP contract with Coutts Consulting Group, has cost in the region of£13 million (VAT inclusive), over the period from October 1998 to November 2000, but this does not represent the true cost to the Department of its resettlement activities.
§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements exist to monitor the Career Transition Partnership; and if he will make a statement on its performance in securing civilian employment. [142151]
§ Mr. SpellarThe Career Transition Partnership (CTP) is a partnership between the Ministry of Defence and Coutts Consulting Group, a commercial company with considerable expertise in Resettlement and Outplacement matters. The purpose of the CTP is to assist those leaving the armed forces to make a successful transition to civilian employment when their careers have come to an end. Resettlement and career transition services for those leaving the regular armed forces are core elements of the Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy.
To monitor the performance of the partnership, MOD established a dedicated team at the outset of the contract in October 1998. The team has the express purpose of 161W monitoring the activities of the contractor, to ensure that he meets the performance criteria laid down in the contract.
Over the period from contract inception to March 2000, the CTP has achieved a success rate of 54 per cent. of service leavers achieving employment immediately on discharge, with 93 per cent. achieving employment within six months of discharge.