Present

Dr Lewis Moonie
Liz McLoughlin

COBSEO Executive Committee

Brig Ian Townsend
Capt Alun Ryle
Cdre Barry Bryant
Maj Gen Michael Regan
Air Chf Mshl Sir David Cousins
Col Terry English
Maj Gen Peter Sheppard
Lt Col Jerome Church
Cdre Toby Elliott
Cdre Martin Macpherson
Cdre Barry Leighton
Mrs Debbie Bowles

COBSEO Advisers

Gp Capt Gary Martin
Mr Robert Leader

Other Government Departments

Siobhan Larking
Alex Johnstone
Mike Le Brun
Paul Woods
Roy Goodacre
Rosemary Kennedy
Gwyn Owens
Alex Mowat

Ministry of Defence

Daniel Applegate
Malcolm Lingwood
Alan Burnham
Jonathan Iremonger
Cdre Annette Picton
Mike Sands
John Sinfield

Minister for Veterans
DG SP Pol

Chairman COBSEO
Vice Chairman COBSEO
King George's Fund for Sailors
ABF
RAFBF
TRBL
SSAFA-FH
BLESMA
Combat Stress
FPS
RNA
War Widows Association

RAFA
St Dunstans

ODPM
LCD
DWP
DoH
HMT
National Assembly for Wales
DCMS
Scottish Executive

Head of GVIU
D SP Pol Veterans
CE VA
D SP Pol Pensions
D Resettlement
DD SP Pol Veterans
Head of DSSec(Sec)

Chairman

Secretariat

Lt Col Alan Fairclough
Mr Guy Brewer

AD SP Pol Veterans
Veterans Affairs Secretariat

In Attendance

Maj Rosemary Warne
WO Gary Gray
Mr Alex Cruttwell

Secretary COBSEO
Veterans Affairs Secretariat
PS/Minister for Veterans

Apologies

Lt Gen Anthony Palmer
Maj Gen John MacDonald
Sarah MacLean
Chris Stewart
Georgina Campbell
Victoria Bamford
Gwyneth Taylor
Eric Miller

DCDS(Pers)
Veterans Scotland
DfES
Northern Ireland Executive
Home Office
FCO
LGA
Scotland Office

Item
(a)

Discussion and Decisions
(b)

Action
(c)

1
Introduction

1. The Chairman, Dr Lewis Moonie, Minister for Veterans, welcomed members to the 4th Veterans Forum and, in particular, gave a warm welcome to those attending the Forum for the first time.

2
Minutes and Actions Arising from Minutes of Last Meeting

1. Chairman invited Forum Members to approve the Minutes of the meeting held on 1 May 02. The Minutes were accepted as a true record of the meeting.

2. Chairman advised that the majority of matters arising from the Minutes of the last meeting would be addressed within the existing agenda. However, there were two actions that would not be covered that required further comment:

3
Review Progress Made by Working Groups

1. D SP Pol Veterans summarised progress on the working groups. A copy of his report is at Annex A. He said that there was a question as to whether 4 of the groups should now close. These were:

2. Chairman of COBSEO responded and a copy of his comments are at Annex B.

3. After discussion the Chairman offered to undertake a review of the Working Groups and to report back with a recommended way ahead at a specially convened meeting of the Forum in June/July.

Chairman/Sec

4
Way Forward for Dealing with Veterans Issues

1. D SP Pol Veterans provided an update on the outcome of the organisational review of veterans-related work in MOD, presented the latest draft of the Veterans Strategy Paper and asked for comments by 12^th March.

2. Organisation. D SP Pol Veterans advised that the establishment of the Veterans Agency, with a remit to provide advice and information to all veterans, had been a first step in a continuing MOD review of the way in which the Department was organised to deliver policy and services to the veterans' community. Veterans policy issues were dealt with at present by a range of areas and organisations within the MOD which could lead to duplication and inefficiencies. The aim was to produce a better-integrated approach that would deliver a more coherent policy programme for veterans. Emerging conclusions suggested that the best way to do this would be to rationalise the present spread of policy responsibilities concerning veterans, bringing them together as far as possible into one organisation with a single programme manager reporting to DG SP Pol. Delivery of services to veterans would continue to be carried out primarily by the Veterans Agency and the Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency.

3. Chairman COBSEO responded and his comments are included in Annex B.

1. DG SP Pol advised Forum members that the Senior International Forum (SIF) was a consultative/cooperative group involving the veteran's administrations of the UK, Canada, US, New Zealand and Australia. The SIF provided a valuable opportunity for learning lessons, spreading best practice and discussing and -where appropriate - cooperating on matters of joint interest. The SIF relationships complemented, but were distinct from, the partnership between the Government and the ex-Service organisations in the UK.

2. The last SIF meeting had been held in London in December 2002 when it had been agreed that there was a need to:

3. Whilst recognising the difficulty of having COBSEO organisations represented at the SIF, the Chairman of COBSEO suggested that a UK presentation of Veterans business would be incomplete without some involvement from the Veterans community. It was agreed that the UK contribution to future SIF meetings should have an input from COBSEO, either virtual or physical to be determined as appropriate. The preferred option was a joint presentation on UK veterans-related organisation and issues as part of the proposed agenda for the next SIF (para 2e above). Matters arising from the SIF in Dec 02 are at Enclosure 1.

2. A response was expected in time for the Plenary on 26 Mar 03. There might be requirement for Ministerial discussion with HMT.

3. Maj Gen Regan, ABF, thanked the Chairman for the personal interest he had shown in taking this work forward.

2. Both Combat Stress and SSAFA-FH advised that they had received extremely good advice when compiling their cases for lottery money. However, Forum members asked for further guidance in two areas:

3. DCMS was requested to provide this information, via the Community Fund presentation, at the Plenary on 26 Mar 03.

4. Local Authority (LA) Disregards of War Pensions for Housing Benefit and Council Tax. The Chairman thanked TRBL and the LGA for their continued efforts to persuade Local Authorities in England to make full use of their option to disregard war pension payments. The Minister invited comments from Government representatives and COBSEO members.

5. Col English TRBL stated that a one hundred per cent disregard of War Pensions for these purposes had been made statutory through legislation in NI and had been undertaken as a matter of tradition in Scotland. This left only England and Wales where owing to pressure from TRBL, LGA and MOD there had been some recent encouraging success. Manchester City Council, Oxford City Council and South Somerset Council had now agreed to use their discretion to provide for a full disregard. Also Cotswold District Council and East Northamptonshire Council had agreed to continue to use their discretion to provide a full disregard following local consultations. The issue remained that all councils could withdraw on their commitment to a full disregard at any point in the future.

6. The Chairman commented that the support of those Local Authorities already providing the disregard needed to be given careful consideration. He recommended that TRBL should continue their campaign at the local level with the full support of the LGA and VAS. There were still good prospects for change in a further nine LAs and concerted action should now be considered against the remaining nine that operated the basic scheme.

7. Updates from Devolved Administrations. Updates from the Scottish Executive, National Assembly for Wales and the Northern Ireland Executive were delivered. Copies of their speaking notes are at Annex D to F respectively.

8. Incapacity Benefits. Following Dr Moonie's departure on urgent business, DG SP Pol thanked DWP for the progress that had been made towards amending the Incapacity Benefit rules as they affect Armed Forces personnel. The change had received Treasury approval and the next task would be to lay two sets of regulations to implement the change. The first set of regulations will be made by Treasury to amend the Contributions and Benefits Act allowing days of incapacity while serving to count towards the higher rates on incapacity Benefit. The second set of regulations would be laid by DWP to effect the change. The Treasury regulations had been laid before the Treasury at the end of February. All social security legislation must be put before the Social Security Advisory Committee and the plan was to do this at their meeting of 2 April. Providing the Committee was content not to refer the regulations out for consultation, the change would take effect from 5 May 2003.

9. DWP advised that if SSAC did take the unlikely step of deciding to refer the measure for consultation then implementation could be delayed until 4 August.

10. The Chairman thanked DWP for the progress that has been made. She further advised that she was conscious that this measure still requires the sanction of the Social Security Advisory Committee.

2. CE/VA advised the Forum that specific cases of veterans returning from Zimbabwe and who were experiencing difficulties of the nature outlined had not been passed to him. He was aware of only two such cases.

3. DD SP Pol Veterans advised that when this was first raised at the COBSEO AGM in September the Minister had asked for COBSEO members to keep a close eye on this situation and to report any significant increase in the numbers of veterans with such problems. The MOD had advised the FCO in September that the Advice Sheet given to those in Zimbabwe who wished to return to the UK should now include information about the Veterans Free Phone Helpline and also details of charities that may be able to assist as a last line of support. This had been agreed with COBSEO.

4. The Chairman again stated that any rise in the number of veterans with difficulties of this nature should be reported through VAS.

5. Concessionary Passports for Veterans Attending 60^th Anniversary Celebrations. The issue of concessionary passports for veterans attending 60^th anniversary celebrations overseas was raised by TRBL.

6. In the absence of the Home Office rep Lt Col Fairclough apprised members of the situation to date and confirmed that he was attempting to establish possible numbers that may attend these WWII commemorations to assist the Passport Agency scope the size of the problem.

7. DG SP Pol confirmed that resolving this issue by providing a sensible and joined-up government response was one of the main tasks of VAS and asked that Forum members be kept informed of progress until a solution had been found.

1. The Chairman advised of the following forthcoming meetings that had been arranged as a result of the Veterans Initiative:

All

All




All

1. The Chairman thanked those who had attended, gave special thanks to Ian Townsend for continuing to act as temporary COBSEO chairman and expressed gratitude to all for their continued efforts in taking the Veterans Initiative forward.