Meeting of the Parliament

Meeting date: Thursday, October 5, 2023

Official Report 1022KB pdf

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Veterans and Armed Forces Community

The next item of business is a debate on motion S6M-10743, in the name of Graeme Dey, on support for the veterans and armed forces community. Members who wish to speak in the debate should press their request-to-speak button. I call the minister, Graeme Dey, to speak to and move the motion.

14:53  

I am delighted to present the Scottish Government’s seventh annual update to Parliament on support for the veterans and armed forces community in Scotland. This year’s update is particularly special for me because it is the first since I began my second stint as the minister responsible for veterans, a role that I was honoured to return to some six months ago.

Since 2017, members of the Scottish Parliament have gathered annually to reflect on the work being done in Scotland to improve support and access to services for our veterans, their families and the wider armed forces community. Members have heard my predecessor and me say this before, and I know that such phrases can sometimes sound quite trite, but the Government is truly committed to ensuring that our veterans and their families are not disadvantaged because of their service in the armed forces, and we really do want Scotland to be their destination of choice when they leave the military. I know from previous iterations of this debate that that aspiration is shared across the chamber.

Today, we published our annual progress report, which details fully the work that we have undertaken over the past 12 months. I am sure that members will already have read it from cover to cover. The debate takes place against the backdrop of the veterans commissioner’s assessment of the progress that has been made against her recommendations.

Returning to the role of Minister for Veterans, I have been struck by two things. The first of those is the continuing dedication of our veterans charitable sector, without which Scotland could not make the offering that it does. The second is the impacts of Covid and the cost of living crisis, which have set new challenges for the delivery of support and for the income streams of the organisations at the forefront of providing some of that.

On a personal note, it has been good to meet up again with some familiar faces. I was pleased to be asked to speak at a Veterans Housing Scotland event in Glasgow city chambers in June. In July, I visited Erskine veterans village, and that was followed by an absolutely brilliant visit to Scotland’s Bravest Manufacturing Company. Last month, I was hosted at HMP Shotts, where I met some of the veterans there—individuals in custody—and unveiled a fantastic painting at the entrance to the prison’s remembrance area.

I was also humbled to attend this year’s memorial gathering with the McCraes Battalion Trust at Contalmaison, in northern France, to honour those who fell during the battle of the Somme and to participate in marking the 70th anniversary of the Korean war at the Scottish Korean war memorial, in a peaceful and beautiful setting in the Bathgate hills.

We should never forget such sacrifices. In that context, I pay tribute to my predecessor, Keith Brown, who was behind the Scottish Government’s launch this year of the medals replacement scheme, under which we will fund the cost of replacing lost or stolen medals for eligible veterans who are resident in Scotland.

Collaboration is essential to ensuring that different organisations, each of which brings something unique to the table, can come together to deliver a coherent approach to the provision of support and services. That is all the more important in the current financially challenging circumstances. The Scottish Government has sought to encourage collaboration through our annual £500,000 Scottish veterans fund, which I was delighted to launch at Community Veterans Support in Glasgow earlier this year. We have further demonstrated our support for collaboration by agreeing to fund the unforgotten forces consortium to support older veterans for an additional three years.

This year’s veterans fund prioritised support for veterans who have been impacted by the cost of living crisis and for early service leavers. In total, 17 projects have been funded for 2023-24, six of which offer support to veterans impacted by the cost of living crisis and two of which support early service leavers.

This year, I also welcomed the publication of Lord Etherton’s “LGBT Veterans Independent Review”, which examines the effects of the pre-2000 ban on homosexuality in the United Kingdom armed forces. The review is an emotive and, at times, extremely difficult read, but it is hugely important that people have had the opportunity to share their experiences, and I want to acknowledge the bravery of those who did. It is imperative that action is taken on the report’s recommendations, and we are looking closely at how best to deliver on the two suggestions that were directed at Scotland, which are around improving diversity and inclusivity in relation to healthcare and housing providers, to ensure that veterans do not face a repeat of the homophobic policies that they suffered in the armed forces.

I will talk more about the future work of the Scottish veterans commissioner later. I was pleased that her annual progress report was published last week. It is important to note that Susie Hamilton highlighted that we are making encouraging progress in a number of areas, notably health and wellbeing and employability and skills. We must not lose sight of that excellent work and the commissioner’s recognition of the efforts that we continue to make in driving forward work on the outstanding recommendations.

However, a key function of the commissioner’s role is to offer objective scrutiny, and we must therefore acknowledge her areas of concern. This year, Susie Hamilton highlighted two such areas—the pace of delivery of the veterans mental health and wellbeing action plan and the veterans homelessness prevention pathway. She noted recent encouraging progress on the former, and members will know that a board was established to take forward an implementation plan. We look forward to receiving a fully developed and costed plan from the board this month. We are grateful for the work of the board members and the implementation team to date, as we continue to prioritise the delivery of high-quality mental health services for veterans in Scotland.

It is also important to remind members that we continue to jointly fund the Veterans First Point network, which offers a one-stop shop for veterans, and that we have provided £1.4 million of funding for specialist and community outreach services through Combat Stress every year since 2018-19. I am also pleased to say that we have already progressed elements of the recommendations in the veterans homelessness prevention pathway.

I compliment the minister on his arranging round tables across all parties in the Parliament to allow the notification of problems, and other communications, to pass more quickly than would perhaps happen otherwise. Will he join me in complimenting Forces Children Scotland and, in particular, the role of young people who are the children of veterans or of forces personnel? I wonder whether, later in his speech, he will be able to deal with some of the challenges that are faced by that group specifically.

All voices should be heard in the context of support for armed forces servicepeople and their families. If Martin Whitfield covers that in his speech, I will be happy to pick up on it in due course. I will cover it to a degree as we move forward.

On homelessness, the Minister for Housing is actively considering where appropriate opportunities exist to raise the profile of veterans’ housing and homelessness, as part of his regular discussions with organisations such as the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. He has also offered to meet the commissioner to discuss the matter further. That demonstrates our cross-Government commitment to veterans’ issues. We will, of course, continue to prioritise the delivery of the outstanding recommendations.

Ensuring that veterans and their families move into meaningful, fulfilling employment after service continues to be a top priority. This year saw the launch of the military skills discovery tool. In addition, we remain committed to employing more veterans in the Scottish Government. I am delighted that veterans are now guaranteed an interview if they apply for a job in the organisation and meet the role’s minimum criteria. This year, we also launched a campaign of working with the business community to help employers to further understand the benefits that veterans bring to the workforce.

When it comes to veterans’ healthcare, a pilot general practice armed forces and veterans’ recognition scheme was trialled for three months this year across nine health board areas. We are using feedback from the trial to further shape the scheme ahead of its national roll-out, later this year.

Obtaining greater data on the veterans’ community is also a key priority, and I will talk about that more in my closing speech. We expect veterans-related data from the census next year and findings from three Scottish Government major household surveys and the UK-wide veterans’ survey this year.

It is vitally important not to lose sight of the challenges that can be faced by the families of veterans and serving members of the armed forces. We are removing the barriers that some service families face in accessing funding for further education, and we continue to fund the national education officer to provide advice and data on the needs of service families in education in Scotland.

Despite the important work that we are doing to support veterans and their families, it is crucial to remember that they are ordinary citizens like you and me, and that, when they leave the armed forces, the overwhelming majority integrate into society perfectly well and go on to lead positive and fulfilling lives. They get a good job, find a suitable house and access appropriate healthcare.

We must all continue to challenge the outdated perception that veterans are somehow damaged by their experiences or are incapable of living a normal life like everyone else. That is simply not the case, and it is important to remember that. There should be a much greater focus on the huge contribution that veterans and their families make to the fabric of Scottish society and to communities across the nation. I hope that, in their speeches, members are able to balance the support that the minority of veterans may need with the positive impact that the overwhelming majority of veterans make.

I will highlight some of the many veterans who have transitioned from the military into civilian life in Scotland with immense success. Scott Simon, a Royal Air Force veteran of 20 years, has gone on to provide elite Olympic and Paralympic coaching, to chair Scotland Rugby League and, latterly, to be chief executive officer of Snowsport Scotland. Lesley Speedie, a former Army corporal, volunteered as a community first responder with the Scottish Ambulance Service, developed a community response hub during the pandemic and now chairs the Blackwood and Kirkmuirhill Resilience Group while studying community response and recovery from crisis at university.

Those are just two examples. I could give many more, and I am sure that members from all parties could do the same. Our veterans and their families, and our service families, continue to contribute a huge amount to our society, and I remain committed to providing the very best support for them.

I offer the Government’s personal thanks to all the individuals and organisations that have contributed to the efforts during the past year, including those who continue to work hard every day to support our veterans and armed forces community.

I look forward to members’ contributions and to responding in due course.

I move,

That the Parliament recognises the importance of Scotland’s veterans and Armed Forces community, and greatly values the significant contribution that they continue to make to society; further recognises that the contribution of veterans continues and grows as they move back into the communities that they served, with their experiences enriching society and providing a valuable and positive base for employers; supports the Scottish Government’s veterans strategy action plan, which has a clear vision to ensure the best possible outcomes for veterans and their families; notes the progress made in delivering the Plan, and agrees that the Scottish Government 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.

I advise members that there is a bit of time in hand, should they wish to make or take interventions.

15:04  

I would like to say that I fall into that category, as a veteran. I always struggle with saying that, because it makes me feel old. [Interruption.] I am old—okay. I hear some members saying that. I perhaps prefer to be called an ex-soldier.

Those of us on the Conservative benches are happy to support the motion. We were also pleased to contribute to and feed into it as the minister was drafting it. We, too, share the view that veterans bring a huge amount to society in Scotland.

Before I say any more about veterans, I pay tribute to our armed forces. We should never forget that veterans have probably served in conflicts around the world and that they allow us to sleep safely in our beds at night. They have never, as far as I am aware, as soldiers, sailors, airmen or whatever, challenged the fact that they might have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

I also acknowledge those who will always remain on duty, having paid that price. I have to say that I am slightly disappointed that there are no Greens in the chamber to contribute to the debate. They are quick to accept the safety that our service personnel bring, and it would be better if they were here to participate.

Just to make it clear, I am a pacifist, but that does not make me anti-Army. I want to put that on the record. I support the Army. I am anti-war, which is a very different matter.

I note Christine Grahame’s position. In the 12 years that I was a soldier, I did all sorts of things. A lot of them were about supplying food to refugees and looking after refugee camps, which was not all about active soldiering. I pay tribute to Mr Brown for the work that he did in the services, too. Some of us contributed in other ways, and I believe that is why the armed services are vitally important.

I thank the veterans commissioner for all that she has done since she was appointed, and all the veterans commissioners who preceded her. Their job is incredibly important. I support the 81 recommendations—as, I know, the Government did—and I am pleased to see that 35 have been achieved. I think that it is perhaps a wonderful euphemism to say that 21 have been “absorbed into other outcomes”. I am not sure that I understand that, but it means that there are 25 still to be delivered, which we should work on.

I welcome the veterans fund that the Scottish Government created. However, as the minister would expect me to say, I had expected and hoped that it would be bigger. In return, the minister would turn around and say, as they always do, “And where should that money come from?” My answer would, of course, be that veterans are vitally important and that we ought to consider them before we consider overseas trips and doing things overseas.

Nonetheless, the Government has done a lot of good things. The recruiting website is a great idea. It talks about the skills that soldiers bring and that we can use. We can also talk about the leadership that they bring and the fact that they are used to making decisions and quietly getting on with the job. The recruiting website will allow that to come across. I also like the “Welcome to Scotland” guide and the approach to stopping social isolation. Truthfully, I also like the fact that an additional 40 military skills have been taken into account and recognised in the Scottish credit and qualifications framework. It is really important to remember all those things.

In relation to where work is still required, however, I will say a little bit about resettlement. Be under no illusion that leaving the armed forces is unsettling. It can be very difficult. As the report says, there needs to be claimed ownership by the people who are leaving. They are, in many cases, leaving their family, the organisation that they have worked with day and night, and their friends, whom they not only work with but socialise with. There is a huge need for people to do a lot before they leave and during the time that they are leaving, and to be helped to settle into the communities they move to afterwards.

Last night, there was a very powerful reception here that was organised by Forces Children Scotland and Alexander Stewart. One thing that the young people spoke about was the challenge that their parents and carers had in transitioning out of the armed forces, particularly with regard to housing and with the practicalities of how to go about renting. Prior to that, all accommodation had been provided.

Martin Whitfield must have read my speech; I hope that I did not leak it. I will come to that, if I may.

The point is that things have moved on from the days when I left the Army. I was given £500 for a resettlement course and four days to get out of my house. However, the situation is deeply unsettling and we need to do more. The Army and the services could do more. There should be a better focus on resettlement, and we could do more in Scotland to help people to settle in.

Graeme Dey rose—

I am running short of time. How much time do I have, Deputy Presiding Officer?

Plenty of time.

I have two points to make. I do not disagree with much of what Edward Mountain has said. I hope that he agrees that one thing that we could do is raise awareness among the serving military about the ability to earn housing points while still serving. Awareness of what is on offer is an issue.

Does Edward Mountain also agree that one of the issues that we have—this is a good thing—is that many people leave the Army in one part of the UK to move to another part of it and many of them come to Scotland. There is the issue of making them aware of what is available in the country that they are moving to.

I think that that is right. The Ministry of Defence has a role to play in housing and helping people into it. I have badgered my colleagues down south about getting the MOD to make houses available, to allow people to move to the area that they want to settle in. Those MOD houses should be made available for a period of time while people get the opportunity to find alternative housing. I know that work is done on that, but we could do more. I find it deeply disappointing that there is empty service accommodation across Scotland. However, there are problems with leases and sorting those out, which I am sure members are aware of. We all need to work together on that.

It is not just about homelessness; it is also about not providing substandard accommodation. This year, the minister helped me to rehouse somebody who was in totally unsuitable housing. Frankly, that was a disgrace. When pushed, the council reacted quite hard.

There is a lot more that we could do in relation to the medical support that we give to our soldiers. We need to be aware that some of their medical records might not be as complete as other people’s medical records, for very good reason. I believe that there is the ability to claim back from the UK Government for medication that is required as a result of their service. I am not sure that that is done in Scotland. Should that be done? There is a fund to allow people to do that—so I am told.

How much more time do I have, Deputy Presiding Officer?

I can give you a couple of minutes, Mr Mountain.

Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer.

Where are we now? The minister made the point that our soldiers do integrate. It was not that long ago that I was in Kingussie, delivering leaflets—bizarrely enough—and I did not notice the ambulance that had come up behind me and almost nudged me before its sirens were put on. I have never jumped so quickly in all my life. I found that that was done by an ex-trooper whom I had served with in the Army. Bizarrely, not long after that, I was stopped by a traffic policeman with all the lights going—of course, that made my heart rush—and I found that he was an ex-sergeant who had served with me. He was paying me back for something that I said to him many years ago. Those things happen. He did not charge me—I had my MOT and insurance.

I have also met soldiers whom I served with driving lorries for big stores. We do reintegrate, and we do so very well. The fact that there are two veterans in the Parliament proves that.

In summary, soldiers, sailors and all servicemen and servicewomen do fit in, but we need help when we are moving. We bring huge skills to Scotland when we come to live here or return home here. Those skills include leadership, the ability to solve problems, diligence in the workplace, hard work on nearly all occasions, and loyalty. Veterans make a huge contribution to the communities that they join, and that is why, as a country, Scotland should welcome them with open arms.

15:15  

I am pleased to be opening for Labour in today’s debate on the Government motion on support for the veterans and armed forces community in Scotland. I thank the minister for advance sight of the annual report on support for veterans, and I congratulate him on his reappointment to the post of Minister for Veterans, which I know he performs with great care and diligence.

It is important that we work across parties in the interests of those who serve and have served our country, particularly as they transition back to civilian life. Sir Edward Mountain, a Conservative member for the Highlands and Islands region, spoke powerfully about the implications and complexities around that.

Of course, there is a wider definition of what a veteran is, as many of our veterans are reservists who live in our communities, and have done all along. Veterans also have complex experiences, not least in recent years, following operational deployment overseas and the complexities of dealing with the trauma and grief associated with it.

As my party’s spokesperson for veterans and the armed forces in Scotland, I am in regular contact with veterans and their families, the third sector organisations providing support for them and other stakeholders, and, through that invaluable engagement, I am constantly learning and developing an understanding of the issues facing veterans, armed forces personnel and their families, and of the realities of their day-to-day lives. Indeed, just this week, I had the privilege, along with parliamentary colleagues, of visiting Glencorse barracks in Midlothian, which is home to the Army’s initial assessment centre for Scotland and Northern England, as well as the Royal Highland Fusiliers, second battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland, led by commanding officer Lieutenant Colonel Dunn. We were afforded a fantastic immersive insight into the full journey of the young soldier, beginning with initial assessment training through to deployment on operations—indeed, a force protection company from 2 Scots is due to deploy to Erbil in Iraq in December for a three-month period.

In speaking to personnel and their families there, it was clear that they share a great pride in being part of the Army and the Scots regimental family, but they also shared with us some practical concerns regarding the costs of pursuing a career in the Army. I think that that is a critical consideration: how do we ensure that people are able to maintain their service for as long as they wish to do so and are not placed in the invidious position of having to terminate their service and perhaps prematurely become veterans?

A good example of that issue, which came up in discussion with soldiers and their families at the barracks, was the fact that accessing the 30 hours a week of free childcare entitlement can be onerous and expensive, given where the bases are situated. I encourage the minister to engage with the Army in Scotland on that issue and identify a suitable way to address that concern, because my concern about the longer term is that if that feedback continues to be sent to the MOD, it might adversely affect future base-planning strategies and potentially further reduce the Army's footprint in Scotland.

Labour welcomes the progress that is outlined in the annual report, such as the development of the Scottish credit and qualifications framework partnership’s military skills discovery tool and the awareness-raising work that is being done on the financial support that is available to veterans. However, the implementation must be faster in some areas, as the minister has highlighted. The annual report noted concern about the delay in implementing the veterans mental health and wellbeing action plan, and noted that it takes, on average, more than 10 years for a veteran to ask for support for their mental health. Implementing that plan is an absolute priority that we all need to take seriously to prevent people reaching a crisis point.

Further, the report also highlighted concern about the delay in delivering the veterans homelessness prevention pathway. The commissioner said that

“little has been achieved to date and progress in implementing this much needed pathway is slow, with no clear milestones or timelines provided”,

and that is despite the fact that 690 former members of the armed forces have been assessed as homeless or have been threatened with homelessness in 2023-23, which is an increase of 40 on the previous year.

The introduction of guidance such as the wellbeing plan and the homelessness prevention path is welcome, but those strategies need to be resourced and implemented in a timely and practical manner if they are to have the desired effects.

Third sector organisations are certainly valuable in supporting veterans, armed forces personnel and their families within their local communities, and, indeed, I often cite SSAFA Forces Help’s helping heroes model, in my own city of Glasgow, which I believe is a stand-out example of a one-stop shop support service for veterans.

SSAFA’s model provides advice and practical casework benefits for housing, homelessness and a number of other areas such as employability and training, financial advice and healthcare. Research from the University of Stirling and Glasgow Caledonian University found that the social return on investment for Glasgow’s helping heroes service is £6.63 for every £1 invested. I believe that it is a one-way bet for us to look more closely at that model and its scalability across Scotland. Further outline analysis of the pre-pandemic years placed the return figure even higher, at £11.68 for every £1 that was invested.

I believe that that gateway model is a great example of how to access support and how it should look, and I hope that there will be many other positive examples across Scotland. I look forward to members highlighting them as the debate progresses. In the minister’s closing remarks, I would be grateful if he could outline what the Scottish Government is doing to support pockets of positive practice and learn from them and, ultimately, capture them and scale them so that all veterans in Scotland have the right localised and effective support.

The veterans and armed forces community is an asset to Scottish society. As I said at the beginning of my speech, we must work on a cross-party basis to harness their potential and ensure that they have the necessary support. That means being honest about where things are working well, as well as where things could be better. I have set out some examples of where progress is being made. Labour is happy to work constructively with the Government on areas that need further development. I welcome the opportunity to debate this important topic and confirm that members on the Labour benches support the Government’s motion as well as the Conservatives’ contribution to it.

15:21  

The minister was right when he talked about the need to celebrate and recognise the contribution that members and ex-members of the military make to society. I have met some very talented people who have made great contributions to society and the places and people that they work for now. The minister also knows that it is important for the Parliament to focus on the many areas where we need to do better. I have met many people who have seen horrific things in the field of combat, such as murders, deaths and traumatic events involving people of all ages, as I am sure the minister has. That lives with them forever. We should focus on what we can do better to help those people who may be struggling to fit back into society, while also recognising, as the minister says, that there are many talented people who do great things for their employers as well as for society.

I am sorry that I am not in the chamber, but I tested positive for Covid this morning. I know that the minister will miss me, but I thought that it would be best to speak from home.

The Government was keen to have consensus on its motion, but I hope that the minister will forgive me for trying to lodge an amendment that was not accepted. We wanted to press the point about pupil equity funding for young people and children of armed forces personnel and veterans. I will return to that later, but I think that it is important to try to press the Government so that we can make more progress with helping young people in that area.

First, I want to cover a couple of things that other members have already touched on. However, it is important to emphasise what needs to be improved. I will touch on the veterans commissioner’s report. The minister was right to recognise the criticism, and it is to his credit that he did so. The commissioner pointed to some successes as well as particular areas on which progress has been slow, including health and employment, as well as mental health and homelessness prevention, which require further progress. The progress on the delivery of the veterans mental health and wellbeing action plan was described as slow, which is not good enough. If our words are to mean anything, we need to move so much faster. The commissioner said that recent updates have been more encouraging, but the Government must maintain that if it is going to deliver a mental health and wellbeing pathway for veterans that is timely and effective.

The commissioner was also critical of progress on the veterans homelessness prevention pathway. We are more than a year on from the proposals being published, but she said that little has been achieved to date, and again, progress is slow, with no clear milestones or timelines.

That is really important, for a simple reason. Scottish Veterans Residences has said that about 800 households that include veterans make homelessness applications every year. It has also highlighted that homelessness can occur many years after discharge because of delayed transition, which can be the result of a reluctance to seek help or the deferred impact of previous trauma.

As much as we publicly value the service of those who are in the armed forces, we should also recognise the burden that falls on their families and in particular their children. The armed forces covenant says that members of the armed forces community

“should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public ... services.”

We should have the same commitment in relation to their children’s education. Many young people whose parents are in the services are forced to chop and change schools as they move for their parents’ work. That can disrupt their studies and their friendships.

For many young people, the worry of having a parent away in a dangerous place for a long time means that they need extra support. One measure that I was especially supportive of my Liberal Democrat colleagues introducing when they were in government was the service pupil premium in England, which provides £335 of funding per child from the beginning of school until the age of 16. That funding goes direct to schools to provide support as teachers think best to give young people the extra help that they need with their mental health and their schoolwork.

It is clear that such funding has made a real difference for many young people. In some schools, it has been used to employ dedicated members of staff to support and mentor service children. Pupils at one secondary school have said that having an interested adult mentor who understands the demands that are placed on service families has helped them to feel less isolated, especially when one of their parents is on deployment, and it has helped them to build strong friendship groups to support them with their attendance during difficult times. The funding allows primary schools to provide outside learning support to work with pupils on building their social skills and self-esteem and developing positive attitudes to learning, which raises academic achievement.

Despite the success of that policy in England, I have not yet persuaded the Scottish Government to support it, more than a decade after its introduction. The numbers are significant, as 2,500 children of service personnel who live in Scotland are missing out on support. I hope that the minister will reconsider the Government’s position, especially given his new role in education, as well as his role in relation to the armed forces community.

We want to do right by veterans, the armed forces community and their children. The progress that the commissioner has identified deserves to be acknowledged, as does her criticism, but we should always ask what more we can do. The service pupil premium is something positive that the Government could do.

We move to the open debate.

15:28  

It is a privilege to speak in this debate, as I have in previous similar debates.

I have direct experience of members of the armed forces and their families through my engagement with Glencorse barracks, which is in my constituency. Just this week, I was back there for a visit with other MSPs, including Mr Sweeney. At one point, the barracks was threatened with closure by the MOD, but it has now been reprieved. Penicuikians very much support the barracks, which is integral to the community. The children of its personnel all attend local schools. The purpose of this week’s visit was generally to be briefed about the Army’s diverse and challenging role these days and its recruitment processes, but it also involved discussing—as it should—the pressures on personnel after returning home from a tour, the pressures on partners and families and the pressures after discharge.

I will give some context about the specific pressures on the armed forces. I spoke to one serving officer who began his service as a teenager in Northern Ireland and then had tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

When personnel return to a home where their partner has been running the household single-handedly for months, that brings challenges for both of them, which are compounded if there are young children who are unfamiliar with their returning parent, who perhaps bears the imprint of terrible sights and sounds, which have to be sanitised in our news bulletins. Indeed, I learned that there is a two-week decompression process, so that people who return from conflict, despite their desperation to go straight home, spend time adjusting before going back to domesticity.

That is even more relevant when people leave the structure of life in the forces for good. Yes—they are coming out with skills, and they have been part of a team and might have been a team leader. Some people might have skills, such as information technology and trades, that are immediately transferable to civvy life, but other people might need retraining. In addition, they have to organise basic aspects of everyday life, such as a GP and a home, that the armed forces have done for them over the years. As I have referenced, if they are in a relationship, they have to rebalance responsibilities with their partner. They are coming home every day or might be working from home. That must put pressures on relationships. They have to get acclimatised to general everyday civvy life. They must organise themselves when, as I have said previously, days and years were organised for them. They are also separated from formerly close-knit colleagues.

It is estimated there are more than 200,000 veterans in Scotland, and it is understood that a high percentage of them live in rural areas where, historically, families over generations joined various long-gone regiments, such as the King’s Own Scottish Borderers in the Borders.

Over the decades, the MOD has come a long way in recognising and acting on not just its duties as an employer but its fiduciary duty that extends—in my book—beyond those service years. This Parliament, too, has stepped in. We are aware that, although veterans are assets to our society, many require support, and a small proportion of them find the transition to civilian life more challenging. They are due the right support to ensure that they, too, are able to adapt, realise their potential and live full and successful lives in the community after service.

A small proportion of veterans find the transition too tough. According to Scottish Prison Service figures, in July this year, in Scottish jails, there were around 243 prisoners who had served in the armed forces. However, similar figures have never been collated for those who have been given sentences such as a community payback order, supervision or tagging. People with non-custodial sentences do not get the support that should be—and often is—offered to those in prison. Those veterans fall between metaphorical cracks.

I ask the minister to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs to pursue the recording of that information on veterans who receive a criminal but not custodial sentence—not for its own sake, although that is useful, but to provide support there, too. The armed forces charity, SSAFA, has caseworkers who work with people who are serving community sentences, and Police Scotland has veterans champions at divisional level, but they need to know who and where those veterans are.

Finally, Lothians Veterans Centre in Dalkeith is a small independent charity that supports military veterans and their families. It offers a safe, relaxed and supportive environment, where like-minded people can share experiences and gain professional and peer support in a home-from-home setting, in order to break down barriers of social exclusion and promote comradeship. I have visited its drop-in centre in the centre of Dalkeith, which has a welcoming environment and can provide instant assistance, support and advice in relation to a wide range of services, including health and wellbeing, housing, employment, benefits, pensions, further education and training, access to health services, welfare, comradeship and activities. Veterans can also just drop in for a cup of tea and a chat. Most members of the centre’s professional team have served in—or are, in some way, connected with—the armed forces, so they possess a wealth of experience and offer an empathetic approach to supporting veterans and their family members, in order to make their transition from military to civilian life easier. I commend Lothians Veterans Centre and direct veterans to its website and that of SSAFA.

15:34  

I begin by apologising to you, Presiding Officer, and to members in the chamber, as I will need to leave shortly after my speech.

Edward Mountain was spot on, as usual. It is right that we highlight the challenges that our veterans face, the report by the veterans commissioner and the work that is on-going to better support our veterans. However, as a Parliament, we do not really focus on the contributions that our servicemen and women make to our country, which do not stop when they leave the forces. That is where I will start my contribution today.

I know a wonderful group of ex-servicemen and women in Lanarkshire called Veterans Community Lanarkshire, or VClan, which is a charity that supports veterans and their families in the Lanarkshire area. It is based in Craigneuk, but it also holds a drop-in cafe every Friday in the Kings church in Motherwell—I must say that the soup is delicious.

I have had the pleasure of the group’s company on many occasions, and it is one of the many reasons why I am proud to live in Lanarkshire. Like many veterans, VClan wants this Government to focus on issues that matter to it and its community. Our veterans fought for our rights and freedoms, and I believe that giving them the right support and tools is the least that we can do when they retire from service.

VClan is the custodian of war memorials in Lanarkshire. It cares for, cleans and tidies those important landmarks, and I know of many other groups across Scotland that also take on that important role. Members might be aware of the stark increase in the number of war memorials that have been desecrated in recent years. War memorials were commissioned throughout towns and villages in Scotland to commemorate the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in a world free of tyranny and oppression.

For many of the families and relatives, those memorials provide the only focal point for remembering. It is the names of their loved ones that have been etched into the hundreds of war memorials across the country. The memorials are emotive and at the very heart of communities. It is important that we continue to meet at those important landmarks and that younger generations are educated on what the people who are named on the structures fought and died for.

Since 1996, there have been 66 attacks on war memorials in Scotland. Although that number appears low, almost 70 per cent of those attacks have occurred since 2014. That is a worrying trend. Data shows that most attacks have taken place across the central belt, particularly in the area that I represent. During my time as a councillor and now as an MSP, I have been made aware of several incidents in which war memorials have been damaged and vandalised.

The first incident, in 2019, involved the war memorial situated in the Duchess of Hamilton park in Motherwell. I was horrified by the wording of the graffiti that had been drawn all over the names of soldiers who fought and died for our country. Words such as “fascists” and “rats” alongside the phrase “scum of the earth” were written in red wax that had been stained into the stone. Although some community members and veterans attempted to clean it off, it required a specialised stonemason to carry out the repair work.

Following the attack, I have had involvement following incidents, including at the memorial in Coatbridge, Larkhall war memorial grounds, the Spanish civil war memorial in Motherwell and the Holytown war memorial. It should not be left to veterans and specialist stonemasons to carry out those repairs, because the attacks should not be happening in the first place.

Due to the number of attacks on war memorials across Scotland, groups such as the friends of Dennistoun war memorial have been at the forefront of a campaign to bring in better protections. It has organised a successful social media campaign to highlight the number of incidents and it has brought together groups of people who care about our heritage, our history and our war dead. The group has petitioned Parliament on numerous occasions, asking that more be done to protect those sites from the mindless and abhorrent attacks on the memories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. However, sadly, those petitions did not go any further. That is why I have launched a consultation on a proposed member’s bill entitled the desecration of war memorials (prevention) (Scotland) bill. The bill has been asked for by veterans to support veterans and their families, the armed forces community and anyone who has a loved one’s name placed on a war memorial.

As the law stands, the desecration of a war memorial is treated as vandalism. However, that fails to recognise both the distress that it causes to communities and the significance of such landmarks. It treats the desecration of a war memorial in the same way that it would that of a lamp post or a telephone box.

My bill would create the offence of desecration of war memorials and increase the range of sanctions available for prosecuting damage caused to them. I hope that the bill would create a stronger deterrent and ensure that war memorials are given the protection that they deserve. As I have said, the bill is for armed forces in the veterans community, for those who have lost a loved one during conflict or for those who are related to, or know, someone whose name is etched into the stone. The consultation will run until 19 December, and I urge everyone to join in. I also ask whether the minister will consider my proposal for this important bill and give it his backing. That would show that the Parliament is truly on the side of veterans and of the fallen soldiers to whom we owe so much.

15:40  

I am pleased to speak in the debate. At the outset of my contribution, I pay tribute to all our military personnel who have committed to making the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom, to our veterans commissioner, and to all the organisations that support our armed forces and the veteran community. I pay particular tribute to the charity Support Our Paras.

I will focus on two areas: education and employment. Earlier this summer I had the pleasure of meeting Associate Research Professor Gerri Matthews-Smith of the centre for military research, education and public engagement at Edinburgh Napier University to discuss the findings of her report entitled “You’re In Your Own Time Now: Understanding Current Experiences of Transition to Civilian Life in Scotland”. Among the issues that are explored in the report is access to education. It notes that, despite the advantages that result from academic qualifications, veterans do not often pursue such a pathway. I am therefore pleased that an articulation mechanism has been developed with the University of Strathclyde to allow those with a higher national diploma qualification to enter initial teacher education. I am also pleased that the Scottish Government continues to develop the Service Children’s Progression Alliance to support service children to access higher and further education.

Separately, though, I am aware that access to education for spouses and partners is challenging where service personnel have enlisted in England but are now based in Scotland. In those circumstances, a partner who wishes to study in Scotland is not entitled to have their fees paid. Although I understand the circumstances of the restriction, bearing in mind that families play a vital role in facilitating successful transitions, I am interested in any update that the minister might be able to provide on options for considering the issue further.

I turn to the role of veterans in the energy sector. Energy companies increasingly recognise the benefits of recruiting men and women from the armed forces, and they can offer them a range of employment opportunities. Qualities such as team leadership, organisational skills and technological knowledge are all highly prized by the sector. Career opportunities exist in the fields of engineering, project management, health and safety, and the skilled trades. To meet its future commitments, the sector is already working to match industry job profiles with military roles, and to identify transferable positions and, importantly, training and conversion opportunities. I am pleased that—

On that note, will the member join me in welcoming the repair work that reservists from the seventh battalion of the Royal Regiment of Scotland carried out on the Gordon Highlanders Museum’s first world war trench this July? The good work that they have done is supportive of what the museum is trying to do on reservists’ education.

I thank my friend and colleague Jackie Dunbar for her intervention. The Gordon Highlanders Museum is in my constituency and I know the value of the work that it does, not just in supporting vocational and practical work but in offering a space for veterans and others to come together. It is a highly valued resource in the north-east of Scotland.

I am pleased that Offshore Energies UK has signed up to the armed forces covenant and received the employer recognition scheme bronze award; Port of Aberdeen has signed up to the armed forces covenant, too. Those are only two of the many examples of how the sector values veterans and service leavers.

I am pleased to note the veterans commissioner’s progress update on the alignment of military and civilian skills and qualifications, which I know is not necessarily always a straightforward process; I am also pleased to note the military skills and qualifications discovery tool. I look forward to reading the commissioner’s annual report, which has just been published. Having had a quick look at it today, I note the update on how Skills Development Scotland’s work with the Career Transition Partnership to refer new employers to it is continuing to develop, and I note the close relationship between Skills Development Scotland and veterans organisations.

I was pleased to note that the new recruitveterans.scot website has been launched, which contains extremely helpful information for businesses about the benefits that veterans can bring to the workforce. I urge all members to highlight that website in their constituencies and regions.

The Scottish Government’s veterans strategy action plan and the Scottish veterans fund continue to underpin much of the work that is being progressed in Scotland. I know that the minister is utterly committed to this work, particularly because, as he has flagged, we are still all grappling with the cost of living crisis and the lag of Covid.

Young serving personnel with whom I engaged in preparation for today told me:

“The army is very accommodating to welfare issues, however it varies from unit to unit, some regiments have well-oiled welfare support in place through charities like Combat Stress and Support our Paras – they are so vital for welfare help. But to be honest, just simply chatting to each other and having each other there for support is the most important”.

I know that we will lend our weight to that support.

15:47  

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate and to recognise the importance of our veterans and armed forces community. The Government’s motion is right to highlight the valuable contribution that they make to our communities and society, and we all want to see our veterans and armed forces community supported in the best way possible to secure the best outcomes for them and their families.

The publication of the annual update on Scottish Government support for the community ahead of the debate is welcome. It highlights areas where progress has been made and the vital role of those people who are working to deliver quality support across the public, private and third sectors.

Historically, Fife has had a long and proud association with the military, with the Royal Navy base in Rosyth and the RAF base—and, more recently, the Army base—at Leuchars. Close to 20,000 veterans are estimated to live in Fife with their families, and many organisations are involved in providing support and advice to that community, including the Fife community covenant partnership, the Armed Services Advice Project, SSAFA Fife and Veterans First Point.

I want to raise a matter that I know that the minister is aware of: blue badge entitlement and, specifically, the differences in eligibility criteria for a blue badge between Scotland and England and how those relate to post-traumatic stress disorder. I appreciate that correspondence has taken place directly with my constituent about that issue, outlining the approach that is taken across Scotland, but I suggest that consideration should be given to looking at how the scheme could be improved for veterans, taking better account of their particular circumstances. It seems unfair that veterans are disadvantaged in Scotland compared with those in England and that their needs are not always being met through the scheme because a higher threshold has been set here.

I will now focus on some of the work that has been done in Fife, particularly on some of the challenges of social isolation and mental wellbeing, which are, sadly, relevant to our veterans community.

The report from the Scottish veterans commissioner has highlighted mental health as one of the areas in which we need to see further progress. I hear the minister’s concern that we should recognise the huge contribution that veterans make every day to their communities, and I pay tribute to the community, but our responsibility is also to look at where we can improve people’s lives and opportunities.

The publication earlier this year of “Recovering our Connections 2023-2026” is an important step in work to address social isolation and loneliness, and its commitment to engaging with veterans organisations is welcome. We must take steps to better identify how to support the armed forces community and strengthen social connections, including by building on successful work that is already being done.

Across my region, we have a number of breakfast clubs, which can be an important part of daily life. They provide social contact and camaraderie as well as a place to talk about accessing relevant services. In recent years, we have also seen the development of the Rosewell Centre in Lochore as a dedicated mental health and wellbeing centre for veterans. It provides a psychosocial support programme delivered by veteran peer support workers that aims to address key aspects of veteran wellbeing such as employment, financial stability and social connection.

Organisations such as the Veterans Foundation support charities across the UK in a range of projects. Fife Employment Access Trust used funding from the Veterans Foundation to deliver the grow your mind programme, which is an outdoor-based personal development and employability course for former armed forces personnel with mental health conditions. The six-month programme provides veterans with experience of horticulture and conservation, while teaching techniques for them to manage their mental health. It is just one of many programmes that are funded by grants from the foundation.

Families of those leaving the armed forces also go through huge adjustments in their lives. I have previously met people from the ruby boots project, which is run by Forces Children Scotland, which helps young people to prepare for their parents leaving the armed forces. As part of its work, it provides a peer buddy system, where a young person who has already made the change to civilian life mentors other young people and supports them through the process. Ruby boots was set up after young people told Forces Children Scotland that there was no specific help for them when their parents decided to leave the forces, and I welcome the fact that the project is now able to provide that support.

The work of such organisations in my region and across Scotland is so important to improving the lives of our veterans and armed forces community and their families. We all recognise the hard work and commitment that goes into delivering such work across so many third sector organisations, as well as those in the public and private sector.

The new data on veterans gathered in the census is one of the more positive outcomes of the recent census process, and I hope that it can be used to effectively inform other work. Data collection is an important part of ensuring that policy is directed in the right places and allowing us to assess the effectiveness of any interventions.

Improvements need to be made with the collection of figures on the impact of alcohol and drug use on veterans and the armed forces community so that we can ensure that support gets to those who need it. Although figures show that approximately 3 per cent of those who engage with drug and alcohol treatment services are veterans, it is vital that we deliver outreach work to target those who are not in treatment but who might be in need of help. Recent publications on drug deaths have not included specific information on veterans, and that area might require greater focus.

In the criminal justice system, although those who are serving custodial sentences are asked whether they are ex-service personnel—[Interruption.] I am sorry for coughing, Presiding Officer—I do not think that I have spent any time with Willie Rennie.

Although those serving custodial sentences are asked whether they are ex-service personnel and are offered support from Sacro and SSAFA, similar information is not collected for those who receive community payback orders, supervision or tagging and they do not get the same support as that offered to those who are in prison. As Christine Grahame has already said, we need to address the gaps in the data so that we can better serve the needs of veterans across our society. I support calls for improvements in that area.

15:54  

It is a pleasure to speak in this debate on Scotland’s veterans and armed forces community. I want to let the minister know that I have had a read through of the annual update, which contains some very important and useful information.

I echo the comments that the minister and other members—Edward Mountain and Willie Rennie—made about the veterans community in Scotland. In the vast majority of cases, veterans manage their transition from military life and are very constructive and valuable members of society in all walks of life.

Notwithstanding that, it is important, as has been pointed out by the minister and others, that we recognise the fact that there are challenges in certain areas, and that we should, for many reasons, do all that we can, as a Parliament, to support their transition. It is important for veterans and their families, but it is also important for our society and our broader economy, which I will come on to talk about.

The areas that I will focus on in my remarks are veterans’ experience of accessing housing and other support services, their interactions with justice services, employment opportunities and, importantly, the contribution that veterans can make to Scotland’s society and economy.

The Scottish Veterans Commissioner has called for improvements in housing support, and has identified that more than half of service leavers leave without housing arrangements in place at the level that they need. I welcome the Scottish Government’s focus on that matter with the Veterans Scotland housing group and the work that it is taking forward.

I highlight the work of Scottish Veterans Residences, which is Scotland’s oldest ex-services charity, dating to 1910. It operates three premises across Scotland. Members will be aware of Whitefoord house, across the Royal Mile from the Parliament, as well as premises in Dundee and the Bellrock Close premises in my Glasgow Provan constituency. I am delighted to have an opportunity to wear the SVR tie on the occasion of this debate in the Parliament. SVR residences provide not just housing support but counselling, support with benefits claims and war pensions, support with education and training, access to volunteer work and opportunities, and activities, sports and hobbies for veterans.

On several occasions, I have had the pleasure of visiting the Bellrock Close premises, which were purpose built for veterans. The premises contain 30 fully furnished one-bedroom flats that veterans can stay in for up to 18 months, while their transition is supported with wraparound support across a range of services, including education, training, employability, future housing needs, health and wellbeing, access to therapeutic counselling, a very well used and well kitted out gym, an information technology suite, a cafe and a range of extracurricular activities that veterans can engage in in an effective setting. The residence also contains 21 self-contained flats that residents can move into and stay in permanently at affordable rent. I really recommend and commend the work that SVR does.

The second area that I want to cover is the interaction of veterans with the justice system, not least because Barlinnie prison is in my Glasgow Provan constituency. As has been identified in the report and by the minister and other members, there are significant gaps in data. I welcome the work that has been undertaken by the Government with the Office for National Statistics, through the census and other routes, to flesh out the data so that understanding of veterans’ experiences and circumstances is better than it has been.

The data that I have managed to find indicates that around 220,000 former UK armed forces personnel reside in Scotland, which is slightly less than 5 per cent of the adult population. Data from the 2019 Scottish Prison Service survey indicates that 11 per cent of prisoners have an armed forces background. They are clearly disproportionately represented in that cohort, which indicates the need for further work to be done to address challenges, to understand the reasons for the disproportionate representation and to provide support services to mitigate that, where possible.

It is therefore welcome that, under the armed forces covenant, Police Scotland pledges to support the veterans community and introduce veterans champions in the custody and criminal justice environment to help to address some of those issues.

The next area that I want to touch on is the very welcome narrative in the report, and from the minister, about viewing veterans as assets to our community and our economy—in particular, in the current environment in which labour and skills shortages are the biggest challenges facing businesses. It was great to see the launching of the campaign with businesses to help employers to understand the benefits that veterans can bring to their workforces. The skills and experience that veterans have gained, often in very challenging circumstances, can equip them well for working for a business.

I totally agree with the points that Ivan McKee is making. Does he agree that there is a challenge for employers, which is to evangelise to a much greater extent about why they recruit from the veterans cohort? As Ivan McKee has indicated, they do not do it out of altruism; they do it because it gives them a fantastic and reliable workforce.

I completely agree with the minister about that. Perhaps we could have a conversation later about how I can use my on-going interaction with the business community in many sectors to raise that topic and the opportunity that veterans represent, as the minister rightly identified, for businesses across a range of sectors, given the skills and experience that they possess. I welcome the work that is being done with Skills Development Scotland, among others, to provide support for veterans in accessing skills.

The final point that I want to make is about the Government’s welcome ambition for Scotland to be viewed as the destination of choice for service leavers and their families. That is hugely important—not just in relation to our aspiration to raise the bar as regards the support and the landing zones that are available for ex-service personnel and their families in Scotland, but from the point of view of the opportunity that it offers us to attract talent from the rest of the UK if people with an armed forces background recognise that Scotland is a great place for them to base themselves and their families, and to start their careers after they leave service.

I call Maggie Chapman, who joins us remotely.

16:02  

Before I begin my speech, I note that I hope that Edward Mountain will apologise for stating that Scottish Greens would not contribute to today’s debate. In the age of hybrid working, just because Scottish Greens—or, indeed, Liberal Democrats—are not in the chamber, that does not mean that we are not contributing, as Willie Rennie’s earlier speech and now my speech indicate.

As Christine Grahame is, I am a pacifist, but that does not mean that I do not care about how we treat our veterans and what support we provide to them and their families, so I welcome the opportunity to reflect on and discuss the Scottish Government’s annual update to Parliament.

I welcome, too, the opportunity to recognise the positive contributions that veterans make to many of our communities. Of course, it is important that we continue to strive to do more to support veterans. The minister highlighted some of the areas where good progress is being made, but there is always more that we can—and, indeed, must—do, as we have heard from others.

I want to thank the minister particularly for his comments today and previously about Lord Etherton’s “LGBT Veterans Independent Review”. That important report, which was published this year, examines the service and experience of LGBTQI veterans who served in the UK armed forces between 1967 and 2000. It describes the terrible consequences for individuals and families of that period’s shameful official policy of homophobia and transphobia. I add my personal solidarity and sorrow, join the review’s calls for recognition, apology and restitution, and look forward to discussing with the minister its recommendations to the Scottish Government.

The minister has also spoken about the opportunities that he has had in his role to remember and memorialise those who have been sent to war. Remembering matters: after all, we are approaching a time of year when things that are very different often have a habit of being elided, conflated and conveniently confused. It centres, of course, on remembrance day, when we pause to remember those who have died in conflict—perhaps especially in the brutal horrors of the first world war.

However, as the last of that war’s veterans passed away, their testimonies silent, something new began to emerge. The core of the remembrance message—“Never again”—was plastered over with new and shiny messages about the thrill of battle, the success of the so-called defence industry and the trailing remnants of British imperial power. We owe it to those who died in war and those who still live with its legacy—veterans and civilians—to remember accurately and well.

Care for veterans and their families is much too important to be tied up in unquestioning support for all that the armed forces do or are called to do, or in support for the deadly industry whose products they deploy, just as solidarity with the people of Ukraine and resistance to the Putin regime must not be a cover for normalisation of war and impunity for the arms trade.

Putin’s power was enabled by many forces and factors, including national leaders who were mesmerised by his macho image and greedy for his oligarchs’ billions. Their last-minute swerves to hostility are about as convincing as their other stories. Meanwhile, the invasion of Ukraine leaves thousands more wounded veterans in Europe, along with thousands more bereaved families, lost lives and homeless refugees. It leaves devastating environmental loss throughout the region and food shortages far beyond it. The victims of war are never only those in uniform; the deadly tentacles of that war are spreading far, in both place and time, to blight the lives of future, as well as present, generations.

As today’s motion and review reflect, we owe respect and care to veterans after they have served in our armed forces, but we also owe it to them, and to present and potential forces members, to pay proper attention to the causes of the violent conflicts that they might be called upon to join. In an era in which UK personnel take part in United Nations peacekeeping missions, often in some of the poorest and most environmentally vulnerable parts of the world, global decisions impact more and more on the lives of Scottish veterans.

We know some of those causes very well—political power games, arms-trade profiteering and struggles for resources. Those resources of course include fossil fuels and minerals that are so often a curse for those who live alongside them.

Increasingly however, conflicts arise over access to fresh water or fertile land. Those shortages and struggles and their tragic consequences are all heightened, deepened and broadened by growing climate change and inequality.

Last month, there was a crucial UN summit on the sustainable development goals, representing the halfway point before the aspirational achievement date of 2030. Those goals, as we know, are absolutely fundamental core obligations that are shared internationally. They are recognised as being essential to any hope of a liveable, just and peaceful world for the children of today.

Because those goals are so vital, many Governments’ delegations to that summit were headed by their leaders. But not all, for some Governments had decided to do other work—the work of dismantling their plans for decarbonisation, the work of approving new fossil fuel extraction, the work of sacrificing essential climate action and of demonising refugees.

Those actions and inactions shamelessly light the fuel of future conflicts throughout the globe, causing future veterans. They are conflicts in which many will be killed and wounded—many wearing military uniforms, but many, too, in school uniform and many in baby clothes.

If, as the motion reminds us, we want to pay honest respect to veterans now and in the weeks to come, we must listen to what they tell us about their needs here and now. They need employment support, healthcare, education for their children and support in prison and beyond, as was highlighted by Christine Grahame—indeed, all the important supports that are covered by today’s review. I especially thank Willie Rennie for his contribution to the debate and wish him a speedy recovery.

We must also listen to the distant voices of those who wore the very first remembrance poppies: veterans, families, and strangers alike. We owe it to them to work, at the same time as we support current veterans and their families, to build and make a more peaceful world.

16:09  

I am pleased to speak in this debate. I have spoken in a few such debates over the years and one issue that comes up again and again is the lack of data and information to ensure an evidence-based approach to making policy regarding veterans. I am pleased that good progress is being made. As the minister said, we are on the cusp of having a lot of rich and useful information that we can use to better develop policy and understand how and where we can improve services to support veterans and their families. That is positive. I hope that that good progress leads to better informed policy and, ultimately, clearer and better outcomes for veterans and their families.

I welcome the collaboration and co-ordination between the UK and devolved Governments and, indeed, the many organisations that work daily to support and improve services for veterans and their families. There are excellent examples in our communities of organisations supporting veterans, and we must continue to support those groups across Scotland to ensure that no veteran is left behind.

I also highlight the work of veterans and armed forces champions in local authorities. When I was a councillor in Fife, I saw at first hand the role that those champions played in ensuring joined-up approaches, being a strong voice in the local authorities and raising issues that come in directly from local veterans groups and individuals. The councillor who had the role in Fife back then, Charles Haffey, was a veteran and was passionate about the job. I am aware that others have done a great job in the role since then, and some have been in touch with me when they have needed support. I am pleased that the Government continues to recognise the importance of the role and continues to work with local authorities to enhance and develop it.

However, I want to be candid when it comes to local government services. We should acknowledge that there are not enough houses for people to live in and that council housing lists continue to grow. Veterans, like hundreds of thousands of people on waiting lists, will find it difficult to get housing if the housing does not exist. The same can be said for many local services. In the same vein, if people are in their homes going cold and cannot afford to switch on the heating, they will suffer the same plight, whether they are veterans or not.

To be clear, veterans, particularly older veterans, face a difficult time, as do millions of their fellow citizens up and down the UK this winter. The main point that I want to make is that, if our economy is tanking, energy costs are out of control and incomes cannot keep up with costs, veterans will suffer and pay the price like everyone else who is on low incomes. I welcome the work of the veterans organisations that focus on doing their best to support people and maximise the assistance that they can access, but the best support would be to build a fairer and more just economy that works in the interests of the many.

To people who are transitioning from the armed forces, we must first say that they are an asset to Scotland, its workplaces and its communities. We must ensure that we harness their potential and fully support them to transition smoothly into civilian life. The actions that are being taken on employment, education and skills are very welcome, but I say to the minister, who also has the brief for higher and further education, that if our colleges are struggling, cancelling courses and paying off tutors, that will also impact on those who are transitioning to civvy street, just as it will impact on anyone who wants to improve their life chances and opportunities through education. We need to address the urgent issues in further education.

The point that I am again making is that veterans are not immune from wider policy issues of grave concern, including our colleges and the lack of housing. The same applies to our NHS. Those who have sacrificed the most for our country deserve the best care possible. Although priority has been given to the healthcare of veterans, we cannot become complacent about the quality of health services, particularly mental health services, because there is massive pressure on them.

A report card would state that very good progress is being made but more needs to be done.

16:15  

I am honoured to contribute to today’s important debate in support of veterans and the armed forces community. Along with my colleagues, I will support the Government motion.

I consider myself lucky to have met a number of veterans who have served our country and to have met dedicated third sector organisations that support them day in and day out. As an Indian woman, I was honoured to be invited to the ceremonial bricklaying for Scotland’s first British Indian Army memorial, which will mark the contribution of the more than 4 million south Asian soldiers who fought in both world wars. I congratulate the organisation Colourful Heritage, which is behind the memorial. For years, Colourful Heritage has been committed to achieving recognition for those soldiers, as well as to educating people on the role of the British Indian Army.

I pay tribute to that army, including to Naik Gian Singh, a member of the 15th Punjab regiment, who was awarded the Victoria cross for his bravery in the face of the enemy in Burma in 1945, and to many others like him, as well as to the band of war heroes who served with the Indian army, perished in the Scottish Highlands and were buried in a Kingussie cemetery. The Scottish Government has been very supportive of the Colourful Heritage project, but I would welcome more information on how the Government will help to support that initiative and others like it.

In my region, charities, including the Homeless Veterans Project and many more, have stepped in to provide support for members of our armed forces community as they transition to civilian life. However, funding and resources are scarce, which makes it challenging for charities to deliver those services. The drive to help the veterans community must be matched in the Scottish Government, and I hope that the Government will deliver on its responsibilities in that area, including when it comes to housing.

I recently submitted a written question on what assessment the Scottish Government had undertaken on the impact of the reported housing shortage on housing policies that are aimed at military service leavers and veterans, but the minister was unable to provide a detailed answer. I hope that, when he sums up, he will provide some clarity and detail on that.

We must remember that 821 veterans were forced to make homelessness applications in Scotland last year, and that more than 100 veterans had to sleep rough. That is why the Scottish Conservatives want to introduce a distinct veterans help-to-buy scheme, which would give veterans more support to buy a home in Scotland. I hope that the Scottish Government will support that.

I am pleased to note that some progress has been made in other areas—in particular, in the development of the general practice armed forces and veterans recognition scheme. In a recent response to me, the minister outlined that a full national roll-out of the scheme will go ahead towards the end of the year. Ahead of that, I hope to see further details on how the Government will promote the scheme to general practitioners and service users ahead of that full launch. Although I hope that the scheme will be helpful for signposting to sources of support, we need a more joined-up approach across devolved public bodies, including the NHS and local government, to enhance the support that is available to veterans who transition to civilian life.

Mental health service provision, skills and learning are not progressing fast enough. That is why we proposed an armed forces and veterans bill to create a new focus on supporting veterans to get access to education, a new home, a new career, healthcare, financial assistance and much more.

I am honoured to have contributed to this important debate on supporting our veterans and armed forces community. As has been made clear throughout the debate, the contribution that our servicemen and women bring to the country does not stop when they leave the armed forces but continues and grows as they transition back into our communities. Our veterans and armed forces community is an asset to our society. For our tomorrow, they gave their today. We must do everything in our power to ensure that they have access to the support that they need.

16:20  

I will start by agreeing with the first part of Pam Gosal’s speech in which she mentioned Colourful Heritage and the contribution, which is often unacknowledged, of the then British Indian Army, especially during the second world war. I visited each one of the graves at Kingussie. There are two others at, I think, Dornoch. There is also the makeshift mosque in Lairg, where more than 300 soldiers were accommodated in that tiny village in the Highlands during the second world war.

I am delighted to take part in the debate. I have spoken at one or two of these debates previously, but, because of the role that I had at the time, I have not really had the opportunity to say more about my personal history, as many members have done in the past. I mention that because the last veterans debate that I spoke in as minister was one when I could not easily get a depute or somebody to stand in my place, and I could not therefore go to the funeral of my uncle Robert in Brora. At the time, it struck me that he had served nine years in the Royal Navy and many years after that in the British listening stations up the north-east coast in Scotland, and that each of his brothers and his sister had also served in the armed forces. That was usually in the navy or, in the case of two brothers, during national service in the army. Their father—my grandfather—is listed on a war memorial in Pitlochry. He served with the Black Watch in the first world war.

I also reflected that the same is true for my mother’s side of the family. She had a number of brothers, one of whom retired as a major from the army. He was then murdered in Penicuik when he was overseeing the transition of wages to pay the soldiers after he had retired. He was helping out in that regard. Two other brothers went to Queen Victoria’s school in Dunblane, in my constituency, which was at that time, as it is now, for the offspring of members of the armed forces. I mention that to point out that members of the armed forces and veterans are of us; they are part of our families and the wider society that we all inhabit.

I will make a couple of other quick points. I am glad that the minister mentioned the medal replacement scheme. It would be useful if he could get as much publicity for that as possible. The Scottish Government cannot replace medals, but, when the MOD agrees to replace a medal, it can stand the cost of replacing the medal if it is required to do so. I know that that has been a very welcome measure.

In relation to the physical and mental needs of veterans, which have been mentioned, I mention Rock2Recovery, which is a small charity. Although many people, including Alex Rowley and others, have called for additional support from the NHS, I would not want the support that is provided to other veterans by people who are themselves veterans to be undervalued. Rock2Recovery is a peer-to-peer service and is very valuable for that reason. I encourage the Scottish Government to continue to engage with Rock2Recovery to consider how it can help in relation to veterans who need that service. I also mention Wee County Veterans in my constituency, which does a fantastic job for veterans in Clackmannanshire.

I will make a point in relation to housing, which was mentioned by Edward Mountain. I think that the member said that, when he left the forces, he got £500 and a resettlement course. Things have got much better since then. Well, I can tell him that I got neither £500 nor a resettlement course nor a pension when I left the armed forces, so things have improved a little bit in the meantime.

In relation to Willie Rennie’s points, I disagree with how he would try to address the issue of education. Much of what the Scottish Government has to do must respond to what the MOD does. He mentioned that people can be shifted between different billets. More recently, five or six years ago, there was a situation in Scotland of a family who had been moved from Germany to Edinburgh to Belfast: three different postings, with their family, in the space of 18 months. It is the public authorities that must address that challenge. I think that we do that very well in Scotland. In fact, a great deal has been done in Scotland that is worthy of more comment.

The Scottish veterans fund has been mentioned, as well as the development in relation to the census. We also have a dedicated Minister for Veterans—I think that that post was established under the former First Minister in 2008. It reached a golden period when we had a minister in the Cabinet. Graeme Dey should use that as his gambit to try to get into the Cabinet. He should say that we should have a ministerial-level appointment in the Cabinet. That shows the attention that has been paid to the matter. That is a real success.

I have been aware of how things have changed. I remember saying in 2011 and 2012 that we had to try to address disadvantage rather than provide advantage. That was quite a contentious thing to say at that time, but that seems to be the language that everyone uses now, and things are none the worse for that.

Scotland does a great deal that is worthy of commendation, but there will, of course, always be more to do.

I say to Christine Grahame and Maggie Chapman that I am not a pacifist. I think that it is essential that we have armed forces and that they are well trained and well looked after.

In this debate and too many like it, people have, by and large, veered away from any contention—any kind of political back and forth. I think that that patronises rather than promotes the interests of veterans. They are not people who have to be mollycoddled; they can understand political differences. We should not shy away from that.

On some of the differences, Edward Mountain mentioned that he thinks that the budget for the veterans fund is too small and that we should take money away from overseas trips. I do not know whether that would have included the two trips that I made to the Falklands on the Government’s ticket. If we are going to be contentious, my comment would be that we should not have illegal wars and instead pay the money that is required for proper boots, proper helicopter support and proper tanks for our forces. We could also avoid things such as handing out P45s to service personnel on active service in Afghanistan. We should think about what is really important to veterans in those circumstances.

I do not support Meghan Gallacher’s proposal. We should not marginalise defacing a war memorial, which is an abominable thing to do. We should not take that away from the general remit of the law.

On a note of consensus, Edward Mountain’s point about housing is really important. He identified, as I have in the past, that the MOD has estates in Scotland that it no longer uses. There are hundreds of houses at Craigiehall, and there are other sites as well. If the Parliament comes together, we could spearhead—Edward Mountain will know the significance of that word—a campaign to get the MOD to convert that stock to housing that is made available for veterans. That might require selling off some houses and bringing others up to standard, but it is perfectly possible that we could make a big difference to the housing situation for veterans.

In conclusion, I am very grateful that the Parliament has once again recorded its support and admiration for veterans because of their service and the contribution that they continue to make to society.

We will move on to winding-up speeches. I call Sarah Boyack.

16:27  

Thank you, Presiding Officer. How tight is the time for speakers? Is there a generous six minutes?

There is a very generous six minutes, Ms Boyack.

Excellent. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer.

I refer members to my entry in the register of members’ interests and my former work with the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations.

This has been an important and respectful debate. On the points that Keith Brown made about being overconsensual, members have not agreed entirely on quite a few issues. Part of the nature of the consensus is respect for those who serve in our armed forces and veterans. I join colleagues in thanking those in our armed services for all that they do.

As several members have said, it is not just about people’s time in service; it is about what they do afterwards, too. Many move on and use their skills in significant ways in our communities and our economy. We should celebrate that as well.

Like others, I went to the excellent briefing last night with young people whose parents are or were in the armed services. That gave a really interesting perspective on their lives and what it is like to be in an armed services family—on the potential journeys that they have to make, the number of time that they move, their families having to respond to change, living in different places, going to different schools, and the challenges of retaining and developing connections with friends and families. That came across very well. As Claire Baker mentioned, the ruby boots project was quite inspiring.

On that point, something that is being called for is for the data that surrounds those young people, particularly their school and educational position, to be universal, so that their new schools understand what they have and have not done and they do not have to revisit things. Does the member agree that that is something that we should urge everyone to get behind?

That is an excellent point, and it came across at the event last night. Young people are actually very well organised and one thing that struck me is their ability to access data through digital connectivity. That is something that they are increasingly using, so it would be good if schools could match that approach.

One of the things that has been discussed a lot today is that the transition from being in the armed services to returning to civilian life is not always easy or straightforward, and a lot more needs to be done to support our veterans and, as Mr Whitfield has just commented, their families, too, because those years in service can come at a personal cost to people’s health and wellbeing. It is more important than ever that the collaborative partnerships that are referenced in the Scottish Government’s motion today are actually put into place between the public sector, the private sector and the third sector to ensure that the veterans and armed forces community get the best possible support and access to services.

Supporting health and wellbeing is essential, and the transition to new lives needs housing to be in the right place and employment opportunities to be made available. Those were key issues on which there was agreement across the chamber today, which I think is important.

There were also many comments about the excellent work that is done by local organisations. I thought that Paul Sweeney’s points about the helping heroes project in Glasgow, which does fantastic work, were particularly important, but other organisations across the country are doing similar work. As Ivan McKee noted, Whitefoord house, which is across the road from the Parliament, is run by the Scottish Veterans Housing Association and has supported and provided homes for veterans for decades.

Sight Scotland, in my region, also does important work. Its new lawn bowling team competed in the vision impairment bowling Scotland league, with matches taking place all over Scotland, and its newly created charity team took part in its first league match recently at the Jessfield bowling club in Portobello in Edinburgh. Members might not think that that is important, but when we read some of the briefings by groups such as Sight Scotland, we understand the critical importance of the associated social and cultural connections for veterans, with visits and opportunities for people to take up new life experiences and inclusive activities. That also applies to the work that is done to enable digital connectivity in order to access new skills or relearn vital life skills, particularly for those who have lost their sight through their service.

Another issue that came up several times today was the important work of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, and her contribution on health and wellbeing, employment and skills is welcome. I want to repeat the comments that have been made by others about the two areas where she felt that more progress is urgently needed. As Paul Sweeney commented, there is slow progress on delivering mental health and wellbeing support, and I hope that the Scottish Government will pick up on that, because veterans might have experienced what for us would be unimaginable pressures, and they need to be supported. Willie Rennie also made some insightful comments about the importance of support.

Before I close, I want to comment on the homelessness prevention pathway for veterans. It was produced last year, but, as the commissioner said, little has been achieved to date, and progress in implementing that much-needed pathway is slow, with no clear milestones or timelines provided. That has been raised by several colleagues across the chamber. I say to the minister that dedicated housing needs investment, and the issue is important.

The member will have noted from my opening comments that the Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan, has committed to meeting the commissioner to hear her views and to take them forward.

I very much welcome that, but, as three of our colleagues representing Edinburgh said when they raised the issue of the need for affordable housing, the issue must be addressed now, with actual investment.

There needs to be effective underpinning of the armed forces covenant. In our 2021 manifesto, Scottish Labour called for statutory targets to implement the covenant and to support the recommendations of Poppy Scotland in its manifesto and of the other veterans charities that have lobbied on that important issue. If Labour is elected next year, we would fully incorporate the armed forces covenant into law, because we think that it is important in terms of respect.

I asked one of my constituents what his recommendations would be. First, he mentioned the covenant and said how important it was, but he then talked about recognising the importance of veterans. He said:

“Raising better awareness among business of the skills that ex forces can bring is therefore important (and likely good for the economy!). Service personnel are measured and trained for their courage, commitment, discipline, respect, integrity, loyalty and leadership. Not to mention communication, positivity and flexibility. Who wouldn’t want more of that in their organisation?”

Those words are very well chosen, and I hope that businesses that are listening today will pick up on those fantastic veterans who can offer us their skills and talent.

16:35  

I am grateful for the opportunity to thank all 250,000 veterans across Scotland who have bravely and selflessly served our country. We owe them an enormous debt of gratitude for all that they have done to protect us, defend our United Kingdom and serve the entire country whenever called upon. We also owe huge thanks to their families, who can see their own lives upturned through the service of their loved ones, which we have heard a lot about in the debate.

Since becoming an MSP, in 2021, I have had the great privilege of meeting current members of the armed forces, veterans and their families on several occasions. I was delighted to have the opportunity to visit the Royal Navy’s Rosyth dockyards to tour the HMS Prince of Wales and speak to sailors and marines about Scottish shipbuilding and the incredible work that they do to keep us safe. Earlier this year, I was blown away by the RAF’s operations at Lossiemouth, when I was given the chance to see its operations up close and hear about how they protect our skies and seas 24/7, 365 days a year. I have also been immensely proud to support Poppyscotland’s appeals both here and in Ayrshire. I encourage anyone who can do so to continue giving their time and money to help that organisation to give veterans the help that they deserve.

I know that many MSPs across the chamber have felt similarly when visiting armed forces bases and veterans charities, which Graeme Dey mentioned in his contribution. He also had the privilege of paying his respects in northern France to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice. Paul Sweeney mentioned a number of bases that he has had the privilege of visiting, while Pam Gosal spoke about being invited to the ceremonial bricklaying for Scotland’s first British Indian Army memorial.

However, as we all recognise, it is not enough for MSPs to merely thank veterans and hear their words. We must translate our words into action and give them every support that we can as they transition to civilian life. I am pleased that, across every party, we can all recognise the huge importance and contributions of veterans to our society, which were noted by Sarah Boyack in her closing remarks. In their service, and in their everyday lives afterwards, they are integral parts of communities across Scotland. The Scottish Government’s veterans strategy action plan is positive, as is the UK Government’s. It is fantastic to see both of Scotland’s Governments working together on the delivery of those plans for the benefit of veterans across Scotland and the UK.

Of course, we can all recognise that more needs to be done for veterans. Life is far from perfect for many of them in Scotland. Last year alone, more than 800 veterans made a homelessness application, and around 100 of those ended up sleeping rough. We can all, as one Parliament, say that that is unacceptable and commit to preventing that from happening again. Willie Rennie said that we need pathways that are timely and effective and that we cannot be slow to take action.

So, what more must be done for veterans? I thank the Scottish veterans commissioner, Susie Hamilton, for her detailed and diligent work in producing a very welcome and in-depth assessment of the Scottish Government’s progress. I had the pleasure of meeting her at a recent Combat Stress event, and her knowledge, experience and passion are clear to see. I also thank the previous commissioners, whom Edward Mountain mentioned, for their work.

The commissioner said:

“This year’s report has shown some really encouraging progress, particularly in the area of health and wellbeing.”

As others have noted, she looked at the Government’s 81 recommendations and found that 35 have already been achieved and that a further 21 have been absorbed into subsequent recommendations. That is good news, especially the improvements in general practice surgeries that have helped veterans to access the treatment that they need more quickly.

As the commissioner noted, tackling the issues that those with polytrauma face

“has the potential to transform the lives of the most seriously injured veterans.”

However, as I mentioned, there are still serious problems to overcome in relation to homelessness prevention and mental health. The commissioner found that

“progress in delivery has been slow”

on the 2021 veterans mental health and wellbeing action plan. The commissioner expressed concern that veterans’ needs are not being met and said that that must become more of a priority. Christine Grahame mentioned the two-week period in which servicemen have to readjust after a tour before they go back home, because of the experiences that they have when they are away on tour.

Similarly, delivery of the veterans homelessness prevention pathway has not been successful to date. The commissioner noted that

“little has been achieved to date and progress in implementing this much needed pathway is slow, with no clear milestones or timelines provided.”

I will move on quickly to other members’ contributions. Meghan Gallacher said that war memorials are a focal point for our remembrance. She also spoke about the 66 occasions on which they have been damaged. She is right that that should not be happening. Memorials are a focal point not only for us but for family members, so we need to take action on that.

Audrey Nicoll spoke about education, employment and facilities in the north-east to help veterans in her area. We need to be more vocal, to ensure that everybody knows about the help that is out there for veterans.

Claire Baker mentioned the ruby boots project, which helps children when their parents leave the forces. Quite a few of us had the privilege of meeting children who are involved in that project at last night’s event in Parliament.

Ivan McKee mentioned Scottish Veterans Residences, which has three locations—one is in his constituency and the others are in Dundee and Edinburgh. The organisation provides not just housing but other forms of support. That is more support that we need to ensure that everybody is aware of.

Alex Rowley said that we have made progress on the previous lack of data. We need to use the data that we get to achieve better outcomes for veterans.

Keith Brown mentioned the medal replacement scheme and getting as much publicity as we can for it. I am sure that, as MSPs, we can all publicise that scheme on our social media, so that it gets the publicity that it deserves.

On mental health and homelessness, the Government needs to make urgent progress for veterans. It must do so because the people who are affected by such issues are the most vulnerable and often need help the most. As it stands, they are, sadly, not receiving the help that they deserve. If the Government’s actions are measured by what the Government does for those who are most in need, it has a long way to go in those areas.

I welcome the nature of this debate, and we are happy to support the Government’s motion, but I press the Government to deliver its veterans strategy in full by meeting the expectations of the veterans mental health and wellbeing action plan and the veterans homelessness prevention pathway.

I call Graeme Dey to wind up the debate. You have a very generous 10 minutes, minister.

16:43  

Thank you, Presiding Officer—I, too, can read the clock.

I thank members for their contributions, which raised valuable points. In the time that I have available for closing, I will prioritise responding to key points.

Christine Grahame and Claire Baker talked about provision of support for veterans who are engaged in the justice system but are not in prison. I am not entirely sure of the scale of that issue, but it is on the radar of the justice secretary and me. As we have heard, there is no explicit preset question to ask people who are being considered by the court for community sentences or who are serving sentences whether they served in the armed forces. As we know from those who are in prison, veterans are often too ashamed to reveal their history after falling foul of the law so, even if such a question were asked, they might not answer it.

On what could be done if we had such information, I hope that the new veterans mental health and wellbeing pathway might provide a route for assisting that cohort. I will feed the concerns that Claire Baker and Christine Grahame raised into the associated workstream, so that those who are taking forward delivery are alive to capturing such individuals.

I appreciate the minister’s comments on the data issues that I raised, but I also raised an issue to do with blue badges. I appreciate that the minister is not the sole minister involved in that, because it comes under social security and transport, but could he give a commitment to go away and look at it? I know that he has corresponded with my constituent and that he recognises that there is a difference between the threshold in England and in Scotland.

I will commit to looking at that issue.

Edward Mountain made a number of excellent points, although Maggie Chapman subsequently took him to task for his misplaced comment regarding what he anticipated the Green Party’s participation in the debate would be. I hope that he feels suitably chastised. Among other things, he focused on resettlement, which Ivan McKee picked up on, too. One aspect that Edward Mountain missed out was early service leavers. Understandably, in this space, we tend to focus on families. However, the most challenged and challenging cohort in resettlement is often those who are single, with only a limited period of service behind them. They are often recruited from difficult backgrounds and from areas that they do not want to return to. I do not pretend to have the answer on that point, but it requires a degree of focus.

I wish Willie Rennie well in his recovery from Covid. I know that he has a strong constituency interest in the service pupil premium, but I am still not persuaded of the need for that. Willie Rennie noted that 2,500 young people in Scotland are in service families. However, although I recognise the potential impact of deployment or upheaval from rebasing, I want to see evidence of how many of those young people are impacted in a way for which they would not be able to secure appropriate support from the generally available services in school, particularly where the school has a strong understanding of the needs of that cohort. If, through the national education officer, evidence emerged of a proven detriment being experienced, we would look with partners at how that might be addressed.

We have a track record of responding to evidenced issues in the education space. On the back of responses that we received from armed forces families and representative groups, we made changes to ensure that FE funding is available for all service children who are based in Scotland. That applies to spouses and partners, too.

Paul Sweeney noted, among other things, the issue of accessible childcare that is close to bases. As he knows, Scotland is the only part of the UK to offer 1,140 hours a year of funded early learning and childcare to all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds. As we announced in the programme for government, we will expand access to funded childcare for 13,000 more children and families by the end of this session of Parliament. We are alive to the issues that face serving families following the introduction of the wraparound 20 hours a week childcare, which is funded by the MOD for four to 11-year-olds. In fact, I discussed that quite recently with Richard Knighton, the head of the air service. I have agreed to visit Lossiemouth with him in due course to hear more about the challenges that are being encountered.

Keith Brown made a valid point about how MOD policy, which is often developed with no consultation with devolved Governments, can create a need locally, with no regard for how that need is met.

Finally, the Gordon Highlanders Museum got an honourable mention from Jackie Dunbar and Audrey Nicoll, and rightly so. Having said that, I had better declare an interest, as my grandfather’s medals are on display there.

As we move towards the conclusion of the debate, I will focus on giving a little more flavour of some of our priorities over the next year. As I said in my opening remarks, examining and acting on veterans data will be a major priority for us throughout the next 12 months and beyond. I hope that, next year, I will be able to return to the chamber and share some insights from the census and various other surveys that contained veterans-related questions. We have made progress up until now in ensuring that we can get access to diverse sets of data from a number of different sources, but it is now even more important to do something with it.

As Alex Rowley highlighted, access to rich and varied data sets will allow us to determine the issues that matter most to veterans and their families and where improvements to support or service delivery need to be made. That, in turn, will better inform where we should focus our efforts. I am hopeful that good-quality evidence will help us to continue to change the narrative on veterans and further improve perceptions around some of the issues that can sometimes be exaggerated, sensationalised or misunderstood.

I highlight again that the vast majority of veterans and their families reintegrate into civilian society perfectly well and go on to lead their lives without significant issue. We should collectively focus more of our attention on the positive contributions that they make to society rather than on the often inaccurate and negative perceptions. For example, in the UK Government’s recent study of perceptions of UK armed forces veterans, there was a feeling that ex-service personnel might struggle to reintegrate into civilian society. Respondents particularly associated veterans with issues such as homelessness. I do not shy away from the fact that there is an issue, but we know from existing data that veterans are no more likely to be homeless than the general population is.

Noting the positive contributions of the armed forces leavers does not represent any attempt to deflect from our responsibility—our collective responsibility—to those who have been left with legacy challenges from their service; rather, it seeks to address the frustration that many in the cohort feel about how they are characterised, particularly in the media.

I spoke earlier about the Scottish veterans commissioner’s annual progress report. This year, we also welcomed the Scottish veterans commissioner’s new three-year strategic plan. In the plan, Susie Hamilton describes what she intends to focus on during her tenure as commissioner. She highlights three specific areas: community and relationships, with a particular focus on women and LGBT veterans; veterans and the law—looking at, among other things, whether the right support is in place for veterans in the criminal justice system, which perhaps goes back to Claire Baker’s and Christine Grahame’s points; and finance and debt, which involves looking at the advice, guidance and support that are provided to veterans as they return to civilian life.

I was pleased that Susie Hamilton aligned her activity to the themes of the veterans strategy, and that elements of her work will complement Lord Etherton’s independent review. I look forward to engaging in and supporting fully her work, and we stand ready to respond as necessary. Finally on the subject of the veterans strategy, we continue to be guided by our strategy action plan and the commitments that are contained in it, some of which I have been pleased to provide an update on. I reiterate the recognition that I set out in my opening comments that we have received criticism about a couple of aspects of progress—we are working towards delivering on that.

Alex Rowley was right when he said that, although the report card would acknowledge that very good progress is being made, it is also true that more needs to be done. I fully accept that. As ever, there is more to do, and we are still working on the elements of our plan, which will continue to evolve, mature and respond to the needs of our veterans and their families, particularly in the light of the raft of data that is coming our way. It might be that we have to change direction in certain respects, depending on what the evidence tells us. I will not shy away from that and stick unnecessarily to a particular approach if it is no longer fit for purpose. I know that my ministerial colleagues across Government will share that view.

We have to be ready to adapt flexibly to the needs of our veterans and the entire armed forces community. Of course, any such decision on changing direction or approach would be taken in conjunction with the relevant ministerial colleagues across Government, because it is a cross-Government responsibility.

It is vitally important that the Parliament continues to have the opportunity to scrutinise our performance and how we are delivering as a Government for our veterans, their families and the entire armed forces community in Scotland. However, I recognise that there are limits to the time that the Parliamentary Bureau can or will afford us for such purposes. That is why, as Martin Whitfield alluded to earlier, I have committed to holding regular veterans drop-in sessions for members with me and officials, so that, between debates or statements in the chamber, members can raise any issues with us and offer thoughts on how we might improve our offering to veterans, serving personnel and their families.

Today has once again served to remind us that this is a subject that we can make common cause on across the chamber.

Thank you. That concludes the debate on support for veterans and armed forces community.