House of Commons · Westminster Hall
09 July 2025 · 8 other contributors · 4,680 words
Opened by Jess Brown-Fuller Lib Dem Chichester
Responding minister: Al Carns
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Jess Brown-Fuller raised concerns about lgbt financial recognition scheme in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The Government must ensure that the compensation fund of £75 million is implemented effectively with individual payments up to £70,000 for affected veterans. Justice delayed is justice denied.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
The LGBT Financial Recognition Scheme was welcomed but the implementation has been woefully inadequate, with delivery painfully slow and communication from the Ministry of Defence appalling. Before 2000, around 20,000 service personnel were dismissed or forced out under a discriminatory policy against LGBT individuals, leading to profound impacts on their mental health, financial wellbeing, and career prospects.
Confirmed that all applications should be processed as quickly as possible and thanked his friend for championing the cause. Also noted that payments are exempt from income tax and will not affect means-tested benefits.
Supports the hon. Member’s call to scale up the delivery team urgently and mentions his own constituent, Adrian Radford, who has been waiting decades for justice.
Asked the Minister to highlight that Kate Green, a Royal Military Police veteran, could apply for compensation under the scheme.
Concerned about the pace of the scheme, citing an example of his constituent who is a veteran suffering from multiple health issues and has been waiting for payments.
Commemorated the injustice faced by LGBT individuals who were discriminated against in the military and questioned if justice has truly been served.
Agreed that injustices faced by people forced out of the armed forces because of their sexuality have had profound and long-lasting impacts on their mental health, financial wellbeing, and career prospects.
Stressed that LGBT veterans who were wrongly dismissed must not face further injustice by waiting for compensation they are rightfully owed.
Noted the historical acceptance of LGBT individuals during dangerous times like World War II, highlighting the nonsensical nature of the discriminatory policy introduced in the '60s.
Government Response
Al CarnsThe Minister for Veterans and People
It is a pleasure to serve under your chairship, Mr Pritchard. I thank the hon. Member for Chichester (Jess Brown-Fuller) for securing this important debate and for her wider efforts to ensure that LGBT veterans are properly and promptly compensated for past injuries, injustices and wrongdoings. The Minister acknowledges the courageous actions of individuals like Fighting With Pride in bringing attention to issues faced by LGBT military personnel. Since coming into office, significant progress has been made including launching a financial recognition scheme with a budget raised to £75 million. Despite concerns about payment delays, particularly for terminally ill or elderly veterans, the Government is prioritising these cases and will continue to expedite payments efficiently while ensuring no one misses out due to illness or age. The Minister also assures that steps are being taken to improve the processing speed of claims through additional resources and staff allocation. Provided statistics on scheme applications, highlighting £4.2 million paid in total with individual payments exceeding £50,000. Emphasised that the scheme is about financial recognition and acknowledging injustices faced by LGBT veterans. Committed to regular updates for Members and individuals affected. Stated ongoing commitment to implementing all recommendations from Lord Etherton’s review.