Welsh Conservatives Debate: Armed Forces Veterans
Janet Finch-Saunders
I feel very privileged to take part in this debate today that serves as a reminder to remember and honour our brave and selfless servicemen and servicewomen across Wales, past and present. It is only right that we do pay tribute to those who have sacrificed so much to secure and protect our country and our own freedoms. We must ensure that this is recognised in the improved provision of services and outcomes for our armed forces community.
There are 220,000 veterans and 8,000 regular and reservist personnel living in Wales. They make up a significant part of our local communities. Our proposals today recognise the vast and immense contribution that they make to Welsh society, have made previously, and still continue to do so today. The Welsh Conservatives are calling for an armed forces commissioner for Wales, as in Scotland, but dedicated to both veterans and the wider armed forces community in order to enable real engagement with communities, public services, charities, local authorities and our vital health boards, with the objective of improving outcomes and making recommendations to the Welsh Government.
I do acknowledge that local authorities have appointed armed forces community covenant champions, and this is to be applauded. However, eight out of ten people have never even heard of the armed forces covenant. Shockingly, veterans injured in service on or before 5 April 2015 have the majority of their compensation taken away from them when they do access social care. We believe that this is a breach of any covenant and has to change.
The covenant needs to lead to tangible actions and outcomes. The Royal British Legion has called for practical and tangible policy changes to deliver outcomes in social housing, compensation payments, disabled facilities grants, and places for schoolchildren of military families. I was very pleased to see that, in England, there are now some local authorities that actually have reserved car parking spaces in certain areas, parks, supermarkets and out-of-town shopping developments for those who have previously served and are currently serving in the armed forces.
A commissioner for Wales would represent the armed forces community in the same way that the older people’s commissioner and children’s commissioner represent their demographic groups, would raise awareness and understanding of these issues, as well as the support and services available to them. You can have support services in place, but not everybody knows how to navigate the very complex way around the systems. This awareness is vital across the board. Research shows 81 per cent of GPs know little or nothing about the rights of veterans to priority care. Furthering awareness, Welsh Conservatives have also long campaigned for the introduction of a veterans card, and this goes much further than the defence privilege card, to promote and enable participation in Welsh society. It would offer free bus travel, free entry to council swimming pools and free entry to Cadw heritage sites. It would emphasise the NHS priority care route available to those with service-related conditions. This, of course, touches on the point that Eluned mentioned about mental as well as physical health conditions. With approximately 4 per cent of veterans suffering from PTSD, that’s around 10,000 here in Wales with a condition that can develop at any time after a traumatic event.
The Veterans’ NHS Wales, a specialist mental health service for veterans, has seen 1,000 referrals since it was set up in 2010. Today we would like to call on the Welsh Government to ensure that tangible outcomes from this service are properly monitored and measured. How many referrals complete fully the treatment? What are the consequences of treatment? Welsh Government must also work to ensure that others suffering PTSD are not going under the radar. The cross-party group on armed forces and reserves has identified that funding for Veterans’ NHS Wales remains well below that of England or Scotland, and the scheme requires an additional £500,000 to undertake all the work required.
There must be outreach in Welsh prisons, specific outreach to female veterans, and support for families. Providing greater support for the families of service personnel and veterans can certainly help identify the symptoms of mental ill health earlier. Our veterans and armed forces personnel have given everything for us. It is time we fully recognised these sacrifices and repay what we can through dedicated support, service priority and Wales-wide benefits.