On 24th June, across the UK, we will be marking Armed Forces Day.
It is a chance to show our ongoing support for all those who make up the Armed Forces community from currently serving troops to their families, veterans and cadets. There are many ways for local people, communities and organisations to show their support and get involved.
Sadly, for all the goodwill, respect and thanks that the public will show on Armed Forces Day, one thing that is absolutely clear to me is the need for us to do more to support our troops, their families and all those who have served their country previously.
The current Conservative UK Government has let them down badly on so many things that have been promised.
They created a postcode lottery on veteran support. Ministers dodged responsibility for delivering the Armed Forces Covenant that they have placed on other public bodies. This means the Government’s Armed Forces Act fails to guarantee the promises we make to veterans on important areas like employment, pensions, compensation and social care.
Military housing is failing troops and taxpayers. Four in ten personnel live in the worst grade of Single Living Accommodation. Service families have made thousands of complaints about the state of their homes as almost a third await repair.
Ministers haven’t improved mental health support for veterans. Nearly half of all medical discharges from our Armed Forces are due to mental health issues, and fewer people are being seen by the MOD’s specialist mental health services than they were five years ago.
The Veterans Minister has stated that he wants each veteran to have their Veteran ID card by summer. At the current rate of the rollout since 2018, it will take 125 years to get all current military veterans the ID card they need to have priority access to services. Of the 7280 veterans in Carmarthenshire, for example, only 138 (1.9%) have been issued with a card so far.
The UK Government also has no plan to fix the falling acceptance rates for veterans seeking compensation through Veterans UK. Acceptance rates in the Armed Forces Compensation scheme dropped from 66% to 47% since 2011/12, while rejections rose from 24% to 41%.
Urgent action is needed and that is why I am pleased to support proposals being put forward that would see a future Labour UK Government delivering for our armed forces:
- We will boost specialist support and bring down waiting times for veteran’s mental health services as part of a £1bn commitment to ensure everyone receives treatment promptly.
- We will improve access to justice for service personnel by trying the most serious crimes in civilian courts when they are committed in the UK.
- We will continue to be an active voice for Forces personnel and families enduring miserable housing conditions. We are already feeding these experiences into our policy review, which will shape a credible solution to this long-running problem at the next general election.
- The next Labour Government would review the system for awarding military medals to serving members of the Armed Forces and veterans, to ensure they get the recognition they deserve.
The last Labour UK Government set up the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, established Armed Forces Day to recognise the service of personnel past and present, and pioneered new veterans’ mental health treatments. The next Labour Government will fully incorporate the Armed Forces Covenant into law and fulfil the important moral contract our society makes with those who serve.
Those who make so many sacrifices in order to protect us need and deserve nothing less.
