THE MILITARY COVENANT

Elfyn Llwyd MP

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP has challenged the UK Government over its commitment to the military covenant, arguing that veterans have been completely left off the Armed Forces Bill currently passing through the Commons.

Mr Llwyd has also slammed the UK Government for excluding him from the key Standing Committee Stage of the Bill in which amendments are argued and considered.

This is the first Bill this Parliament that a member of the minority parties has been excluded from such a crucial point. This was done by cutting the size of the Bill Committee to 14 members. At all other times, Bill Committees have ranged from 16 plus one minority member to 21 and one minority member.

Mr Llwyd will be tabling a series of amendments to the Armed Forces Bill, to ensure the military covenant is implemented, and to place a legal duty on the Secretary of State to act to provide progress - and not simply place a report before Parliament which would not enforce a duty on the Secretary to do anything.

The foremost campaigner on veterans’ affairs in the UK Parliament, Mr Llwyd is Chair of the Justice Unions’ Parliamentary Group and a member of the Howard League for Penal Reform’s inquiry into Veterans in Prison. The inquiry team recently travelled to the States to learn more about their groundbreaking work in veterans’ aftercare.

In December 2010, Mr Llwyd also scooped the Welsh Campaigner of the Year award for his work on veterans’ welfare.

Mr Llwyd said: “There is a mandatory duty on the government to implement the military covenant. The last Labour government failed pitifully in this respect and we are still seeing increasing numbers of veterans in prison – maybe as high as at one in nine of the prison population.

“This was an opportunity to put veterans’ welfare at the heart of the Bill – one that has been badly missed. Last year, figures showed there were twice as many veterans in prison than British troops are in Afghanistan.

“I fear that this government is about to continue in this failure to our troops.

“It is disgusting that I have been excluded from the Committee stage of the Bill. It is evident in Westminster that I have a long standing interested in the field of veterans and this smacks of ‘stitch-up’ – in the same way as this toothless Clause is stitching up veterans.

“The amendments that I will be proposing already have cross party support.

“I will be ensuring that veterans are put at the heart of the Bill – and through voting with or against these, the UK Government will have to show whether they are serious about implementing the military covenant.

“I recently travelled to the States to learn about their experiences of veterans support and I believe they are already streets ahead of us in this field. The inquiry will be reporting back on its overall findings in the coming months and I dearly hope the UK Government takes them on board.

“Although I was against the military incursion into Iraq and Afghanistan and voted against them it is politicians who place these brave troops in harm's way. We owe them a duty to ensure their wellbeing upon their return home.

“Anything else is a breach of the military covenant.”

SUPPORT FOR OUR VETERANS

From time to time I have tried to draw attention to the UK Government's failure in its Duty of Care towards our service men and service women, this is something that is provoking widespread concern especially when the Military Covenant is being effectively undermined. Plaid launched its new policy paper on supporting veterans, on Monday 15th February, it highlights a number of important, if not vital, areas for reform in the penal system and highlights the need for a separate strategic review of expenditure spent on service personnel leaving the forces.

At a time when the UK Government is preparing to undertake a major defence spending review, Plaid will be urging the Westminster government to address this particular area of forces and veteran welfare. Following on from the spiralling cost of military procurement and the New Labour government's utter inability to keep within its budget, especially over the war in Afghanistan, Plaid is campaigning for priority to be given to veteran welfare.

Plaid Cymru's Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP, who first highlighted this issue seven years ago has repeatedly pressed the Prime Minister many times on the matter. Mr Llwyd launched the document at the Royal British Legion in Llandudno.

Plaid's Elfyn Llwyd MP said:

"This work is part of Plaid's ongoing commitment to supporting troops and veterans that are currently being let down by the UK Government. If the government is going to send our brave troops to illegal and immoral wars they must remember that they still have a duty of care towards them or they break the Military Covenant."

"Large numbers of soldiers are coming back from war zones (more than ever before), and on leaving the forces, it is increasingly apparent that the government is doing little to support them. Last year figures showed there were twice as many veterans in prison than British troops are in Afghanistan."

"Initiatives need to be put in place to target the social isolation experienced by many veterans - something which would doubtlessly lessen the numbers entering into custody or probation in the first place. We're advocating several measures such as a more thorough 'debriefing' procedure pre-discharge from the forces and which would include psychological assessments plus drug and alcohol tests. Intervention at an early stage could help many veterans before they come into contact with the criminal justice system."

"A post-discharge support programme should be designed to combat the various strains of social estrangement experienced by many veterans. Basic initiatives such as tenancy support services and advice on debt management should be as integral to a support programme as physical and mental health checks."

"What is missing on a national level is a holistic support service and also a system of identification of veterans coming into contact with the criminal justice system. There are many more options that need to be considered and this is very much an ongoing project. Reform of the current penal system, as well as the way criminal proceedings are dealt with within the military, is desperately needed to ensure our veterans do not end up in this vicious circle."