Meeting of the Parliament 05 December 2024
My ask of members is the ask that I have heard from the veterans charitable community—to spread the word. If members can raise the issue with the GP practices in their constituencies and regions and encourage greater uptake, that would be all to the good, because it needs to improve.
This year marked the 80th anniversary of the D-day landings, and I was honoured to attend the national commemorative event at the Usher hall in Edinburgh. The First Minister represented the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland at the UK D-day commemorations in Portsmouth and Normandy, and I attended the Anzac and Gallipoli remembrance services this year, too.
Commemoration and remembrance are critical aspects of our visible support for veterans and the armed forces community, and an important way for us to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedoms that we often take for granted and to protect the democracy that we observe in this chamber every day.
I remain committed to providing the very best support for our veterans, their families and service families. I give my personal thanks again to all the individuals and organisations who have contributed to our efforts during the past year, and to those who continue to work hard every day to support our veterans and the armed forces community. Collectively, we can always do more, and I look forward to hearing members’ contributions and to responding to them when closing the debate and beyond.
I move,
That the Parliament recognises and acknowledges the importance of Scotland’s veterans and Armed Forces community and greatly values the significant contribution that it continues to make to society; further recognises that the contribution of veterans and their families continues and grows as they move back into the communities that they served, with their experiences positively enriching society and providing a valuable talent pool for employers, and agrees that the Scottish Government, cognisant of the important ongoing work of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, should continue to work with partners across the public, private and third sectors to ensure that the veterans and Armed Forces community receives the best possible support and access to services.