Hansard

I thank the Government for today’s debate and for allowing Parliament to recognise the contribution that veterans have made and continue to make to our country. As the minister highlighted, the UK’s involvement in armed conflict remains a highly contentious issue but, by contrast, it is pleasing to note that public support for serving and former members of our armed forces seems, if anything, to be increasing.

As we move further away from the world wars that so shaped the history of the previous century, we have the opportunity to develop a new and hopefully healthier relationship with the military and with our military veterans. I want to highlight two points this afternoon: the need for us to encourage successive generations to remember the sacrifice made by so many in defence of our freedoms and our way of life; and the practical help and support that we can and should offer those who continue to serve.

In this anniversary year, when we look back at the momentous events which marked the outbreak of the first world war, it is easy to be swamped by the sheer scale of the devastation that was wrought and the millions of people who died in that conflict. However, it is sometimes the individual stories that can most make us stop to think.

That was certainly my reaction when I saw the work of the Mearns history group in my own constituency, which has recently undertaken a project to research the background of all those from the local area who died in the great war. For more than 10 years, on every second Sunday in November I have read the names on the memorial at Mearns Cross many times over and have wondered who those men were, what lives they led, and who they left behind. The local history group has done a wonderful job of finding out just a little of the story behind each name and the grief that their loss must have caused.

The names on the memorial include Andrew Hamilton, private, 1st garrison battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, who was a joiner who lived with his wife Elizabeth and their six children at 35 Main Street, Newton Mearns, and who died of nephritis in Rawalpindi aged 39. Corporal Robert Close of the 2nd battalion of the Royal Scots Fusiliers, son of Robert and Sarah Close, was killed on the Somme on 16 July 1916, aged 25. I want to thank all the volunteers in the local community who have taken the time to unearth these simple facts, which allow us, even now, to make the connection to our war dead.

However, it is not enough simply to remember the fallen; we should use this moment and this year’s commemorations in particular to help those who are still serving. I draw to the minister’s attention a worthwhile new initiative. Armed forces legal action, or AFLA, is a nationwide scheme to provide discounted legal services for current armed forces personnel and those who have recently left the armed forces. Lawyers up and down the country are being asked to offer a reduction of one third off their fees and to extend that support to wounded veterans and bereaved partners. To date, 117 law firms up and down the country have expressed an interest in registering for it.

The scheme, which was the brainchild of a Scottish serviceman, will be launched officially on armed forces day later this year. I am pleased to be hosting a reception on the scheme here in the Parliament to which all members will of course be invited. If the minister is interested in finding out more, I point him in the direction of the website of the Law Society of Scotland. I am sure that he will recognise the advantages of such a straightforward, practical and supportive scheme, and I would be delighted if he could offer it his or the Government’s endorsement.

I will end on a slightly lighter note. I took advantage of a previous debate to enlist the support of the minister’s colleague the Minister for External Affairs and International Development for a fair trade football match. The Scottish Parliament team is, once more, up against a team of Royal Air Force veterans in our annual fixture to mark armed forces day. Before anyone gets the wrong idea, the team might be veterans, but they are fit, skilful and, unsurprisingly, very well disciplined. I know that I can count on Labour’s shadow spokesperson, Mr Griffin, to shore up the back line. I also know from experience that the minister is a very useful player. We are counting on his support, so I hope that he can find a date in his diary for the match in June.

I support the Government motion.