Hansard

I join the minister in welcoming to the gallery retired Lieutenant Commander Susie Hamilton, who is the Scottish veterans commissioner. We all agree that she does amazing work in public service of our country and the veterans community in Scotland, which, as Mr Greene mentioned, numbers 176,100 people, according to the last census. By my reckoning, that is a population that is about the equivalent of that of Scotland’s fourth-largest city, just beating Dundee. It is a significant cohort of people, half of whom are, as has been mentioned, active working-age people who are very much contributing and dynamic citizens in our country. They are, indeed, some of our best citizens, as is typified by the veterans commissioner.

It is a privilege to open for the Labour Party in the debate on the motion of support for the veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland. I was pleased, too, to sign the motion, in the spirit of consensus on its sentiments. We must all, nonetheless, collaborate to ensure that we deliver the best possible public policy environment to support our veterans community.

The transition from service life to civilian life is not an easy one for many people. There is much work to be done to make that transition smoother and to tackle many of the prevalent issues that veterans come up against. I highlight that, in many conversations that I have had with serving members of the armed forces in recent years, many expressed feeling immense pressure to terminate their careers in the armed forces prematurely due to family pressures, issues around childcare and education or spouses seeking employment opportunities that they were not otherwise able to find. That came out loud and clear in conversations with members of the Army, whether at Glencorse in Midlothian or Lossiemouth in Moray.

It is important that, in considering the on-going strategic defence review, the Scottish Government takes an all-Government approach to ensuring that the resilience of our armed forces is sustained by public policy across all tiers of government, in order to support our armed forces personnel to sustain their careers until the point at which they wish to exit service.

It has been highlighted in the early stages of the strategic defence review that we are losing too many people from our armed forces. There is a real strategic challenge in recruitment and retention. Given the on-going geopolitical situation, that is a major national security concern. We all have a responsibility to ensure total national resilience in that respect.

We also need to consider the significant cohort of working-age veterans in Scotland and how we might promote greater recruitment to the reserve forces. It is not simply about hot conflicts but about ensuring home resilience. Given the extreme weather events and other major risks that face the country, having greater depth in the armed forces in Scotland through the reserves would be welcome. Greater engagement from the Scottish Government in that respect, as part of the strategic defence review, would be welcome. I know that the Scottish Government has submitted a report with its feedback to the defence review. It would be welcome if the minister could comment on that in his closing remarks.

It continues to be the case that many veterans face trouble with accessing housing, employment and skills development when they leave the armed forces. No one should be forced to face homelessness or sleeping rough. Homelessness among the veterans community remains extremely high. The Scottish Government’s slow progress towards delivery of the veterans homelessness prevention pathway is apparent, with a total of 935 homelessness applications having been submitted by veterans last year, which is the highest figure since 2018-19. That is not good enough, and there is no doubt that the Government’s decision to slash the affordable housing budget last year will have had a particular knock-on effect on veterans. Without the fundamental security of having shelter and a roof over their heads, how are our veterans expected to adjust to their new lives in civilian environments?

Although it is welcome that priority has been given to the healthcare of veterans, the Government must not be complacent about the quality of the services that are provided—in particular, the quality and accessibility of mental health services. It was particularly disappointing to read in the detailed breakdown of the Scottish Government’s draft budget publication yesterday that there is to be a real-terms cut in mental health funding. That will certainly not be helpful.

Veterans are especially vulnerable to mental health challenges. I know that from personal experience and that of my friends. It is no surprise, given the exposure to trauma that comes with military service, often with the loss of friends at a young age, that veterans are at increased risk of developing depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. In her recent annual progress report, which was published on 18 September, the Scottish veterans commissioner warned, for a second year, about the delays in realisation of the veterans mental health and wellbeing action plan.

Glasgow’s helping heroes service, which is supported by SSAFA, the armed forces charity, is just one of many veterans organisations that are providing much-needed support for veterans by providing a one-stop shop. The minister alluded to the need for greater dissemination and promotion of the services that are available. SSAFA’s model stands up to scrutiny as one that is particularly effective, because it operates a one-stop shop that helps veterans to access all forms of practical support in housing, employment, benefits and healthcare, and it signposts them to organisations that can help them with mental health issues. The Scottish Government must prioritise veterans’ mental health, so perhaps utilising those pathways and conduits would be a helpful means of doing so.

The new UK Government has taken steps to improve the lives of veterans, such as extending national insurance relief for employers that hire veterans. I had the opportunity to meet many of them last week at BAE Systems on the Clyde, at the steel-cutting ceremony for the new type 26 frigate, HMS Sheffield. I also met there the veterans commissioner, who served on a previous HMS Sheffield, which was a type 22 frigate—in its case, one that was built on Tyneside. It was a great moment to join veterans who were working on the ship and others who had served on previous HMS Sheffields, including the type 42 frigate that was lost in May 1982, with 20 lives having been lost in that tragic incident.

The Government has also introduced a digital veterans card that will, I hope, promote greater access to Government services. I hope that that is something that the Scottish Government will look into.

I cannot help but notice that we have the same debate yearly, with almost identical contributions. If the Government is serious about supporting the armed forces and veterans community in Scotland, we must have greater time in Parliament devoted to the issues. We are eager to work on a cross-party basis, and we hope that we will not divide the chamber on the matter, but we must do more for those who have done the most in public service of our country.