Veterans Issues
Veterans programme
Veterans programme
Veterans affairs secretariat
Veterans working arrangements
Veterans task force
Veterans forum
Veterans plenary
Minister's speeches
Minister's speeches
Minister for Veterans Speech to SSAFA AGM, 21 July 2004
Your Royal Highness, Your Grace, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen thank you very much for inviting me to deliver your key note speech.
It is a pleasure for me to be with you today and I am sorry that I cannot stay for longer, but I have to be in the Commons for 12.45.
But I want to begin by thanking and paying my personal respects and best wishes to Peter Sheppard on his retirement. He was in my formative time as Minister a very useful contributor on veterans matters. Andrew Cummings, your new controller, has a difficult but not impossible act to follow.
Our ability to mount military operations around the world is crucial to our security and I am sure everyone here will join me in paying tribute to our Armed Forces who continue to demonstrate their professional excellence across the globe.
In two hours time, the Secretary of State will be announcing to the Commons how the Government intends to adapt our defence plans to meet the security challenges of the future. Our commitment to strong defence was amply demonstrated by the Spending Review statement on 12 July, in which the Chancellor announced an increase in the defence budget by £3.7 billion between 2004-5 and 2007-8. This amounts to a real terms increase of 1.4% a year and represents the longest period of sustained real terms growth for over 20 years.
It means that we will be able to continue the modernisation of the Armed Forces so that they are more flexible and responsive, and so more able to tackle head on the threats that they might face in the future.
But I recognise the pressure that operational commitments can
place on our personnel and the potential impact this has on their families.
That is why we do everything possible to ensure that commitments do not become
unmanageable.
And, of course, SSAFA - Forces Help is a crucial part of the welfare support
network available to personnel and their families and dependants, during
and after operations.
With just over 12,000 Service personnel currently deployed in various operational theatres around the world, the role that you have played in making life better for those deployed on the front line has been phenomenal. Your confidential support line and email system has continued to serve those currently deployed overseas, in addition to reassuring families and friends at home.
I am aware that each year you assist around 200 families with their travel needs through the Families Escort Service. On many occasions volunteers have met partners travelling with young children from airports and stations all over the UK - thank you for that excellent service.
Through the Community Mental Health Scheme, SSAFA- Forces Help has also been instrumental in the welfare of Service personnel on their arrival back home. Your Community Mental Health Nurses have been on hand to listen to and help Service personnel.
These services deserve our highest praise, and I certainly do believe they play an important part in what you do. Of course, our ability to recruit and retain sufficient numbers of the right quality of personnel remains critical to achieving operational success. However, there continue to be “pinch point” areas where shortages of particular types of skilled personnel have caused some concern. This is why we have frequently found the need for certain areas of the Armed Forces to spend an increased amount of time on operations.
While I do not doubt the appetite that our people have for operations, I accept that there will come a point where acceptance of routinely long periods away from home must reach its limit. I am very conscious that we cannot take their goodwill - or the goodwill of families, dependents or friends - for granted. We will therefore continue to work hard to eliminate under-manning across the Services as well as addressing these particular “pinch points”.
We must not forget the crucial new role played by our Reserve Forces.
Over the last decade we have moved from a large but infrequently used Reserve to a smaller, more effective one that is continuously in demand. This has been a major change, and the Ministry of Defence has good reason to be grateful for the positive response from both the Reservists, their families, friends and dependents themselves and their civilian employers.
It has been of great importance for us to be able to draw upon the support that the Reserve Forces have given to their regular counterparts on operations at home and overseas. The more flexible use of Reservists has provided the MOD with the opportunity to harness skills appropriate for operations, but which are not needed on a frequent basis in peacetime and therefore not readily found within the regular Armed Forces.
But Reservists can face welfare difficulties as great, and possibly greater, than Regulars. And that is why we are ensuring that our measures take account of their needs, as well as those of the Regular AF.
But I recognise that your role extends well beyond operations. Indeed, since becoming Minister for Veterans 13 months ago I have been continually astounded by the breadth of issues with which SSAFA-Forces Help is involved - from the provision of valued financial assistance to your work with the homeless - as we have already heard from His Royal Highness this morning.
I know from my many meetings with Individual Service Personnel and veterans how much they value your work in all its forms and what it can do for them. I also know from my dealings with the veteran's community as a whole how much SSAFA-Forces Help as an organisation is respected.
And although I realise that you are often constrained by resources, you continue to act as a lynch pin to the Service and the ex-Service community.
I will see to it that SSAFA's work continues to be supported as appropriate and that the profile of the organisation is maintained through the current Veterans Strategy at every level of Government.
I am particularly grateful to SSAFA-Forces Help for their tireless provision of welfare solutions, on many occasions acting as the vital link to other agencies and charities.
You have become a friendly face for tens of thousands of Service and ex-Service personnel in the Services and their families. With around 7000 trained case workers, you provide a shoulder to cry on when times are hard, a listening service for those in need, and most importantly you help people to help themselves.
In pursuing its work, you have built up good business relationships with The Royal British Legion and other ex-Service organisations such as BLESMA, St. Dunstans and Combat Stress. I am also glad that good links are in place with the War Pensions Welfare Service, and other parts of the Veterans Agency.
I also welcome the progress being made on the Memorandum of Understanding between SSAFA Forces Help and the Department of Work and Pensions. This will put in place an effective partnership contributing to the economic prosperity and well being of ex-Service personnel. It will also encourage local service provision through joint local initiatives and the two organisations will be responsible for making customer referrals to each other. I am sure this will result in better service delivery to those we all aim to help.
I would obviously like to see these links strengthened whenever possible. The more we cooperate, the more we can help Service personnel, veterans, and of course their families.
There is, I know, a continuing question as to how far the voluntary organisations working in the Service and ex-Service sector should not just cooperate but also unify. I recognise that this is a very sensitive issue indeed, especially for those who have supported a particular organisation for many years. You will be pleased to know that I am more than happy to leave the pace of change to the organisations concerned. However if my help is needed in any way I will gladly give it.
I thought it would be appropriate today to make some points about the new Pension and Compensation Schemes, as these are subjects close to many hearts.
The new pension arrangements due to come into effect for new entrants from April 2005 will offer benefits based on a final pensionable salary instead of representative pay rates, with common terms for officers and other ranks.
SSAFA is an organisation that understands the crucial role that families and dependants of Service Personnel play. We wish to recognise this role with more substantial financial support for dependants as part of our pension changes. So the new scheme will increase the benefits, increasing widows and widower's pensions to 62.5% of the member's pension, rather than 50% as it is in the current scheme.
We will also increase the death-in-service lump sum to 4 times pensionable pay. As I am sure you will agree it is crucial that we support the dependants of those who pay the ultimate sacrifice.
In addition to this, we will make provision for benefits to be extended to unmarried partners, including same sex partners.
I believe that these changes offer those now in-Service a system of support which will provide improvements to their future lives. All Serving personnel will be given the opportunity to transfer to the new scheme as soon as possible after April 2005, but no later than April 2007. It will be a matter of individual choice for every service person. I believe that it represents a major step forward.
I have made every effort to ensure the new compensation scheme will provide a fairer deal too. The outcomes are expected to be more consistent for all those entitled to compensation, with improvements for the more seriously disabled. Every attempt is being made to make sure that the new scheme reflects modern medical understanding and current practice and thinking on disability, as well as making it fair, transparent and simple to understand.
For the first time ever, there will be a tariff-based lump sum payable for pain and suffering, and where appropriate, a Guaranteed Income Stream for life, to compensate Service personnel for lost earnings capacity.
The Scheme will be introduced for all members of the Armed Forces for all injuries and conditions whose cause arises after 6 April 2005.
I believe the scheme is not only fairer, but also reflects the realities of service today.
Many of the issues affecting the lives of Service Personnel are being addressed as part of a major review of welfare policy. I can confirm to you today that SSAFA-Forces Help will be consulted closely as we make progress.
We have for instance already conducted a thorough review of the Ministry of Defence's bereavement procedures. The aim was to simplify procedures, and create a more unified approach to supporting bereaved families. As a result, correspondence with bereaved families is now more personal in tone, more thoroughly checked for accuracy and is coordinated through Service Visiting Officers, who are available to explain some of the more complex issues that often arise at such a difficult time. We will continue to keep these arrangements under review.
The Veterans Agency is also reviewing the role of its Welfare Service to ensure that there is an effective interface with both ex-Service and in-Service welfare provision. Delivery of welfare support to veterans is an excellent example of how Government and the charitable sector can work together effectively, each complementing the other's particular expertise. Strengthening this partnership will be an important aspect of the future development of our Welfare Services.
It is crucial that we as a partnership continue to encourage a 'cradle to grave' approach towards our Armed Forces. This should be epitomised in our work with both the Service and Veterans communities and their families.
So now I would like to say a little more about these aspects, starting with the crucial step between an in-Service career and civilian life.
As part of my work, I am committed to ensuring that Service personnel make a successful transition to civilian life. I know that the vast majority of Service leavers, currently around 24,000 per year, successfully make this step. Government figures show that 95 percent of entitled personnel who undertake the normal resettlement courses find employment within 6 months of leaving the Forces. However, for a relatively small minority the transition is and can be more difficult, resulting occasionally in social exclusion.
You may be aware that in April, we improved our transition assistance with the introduction of the Early Service Leavers policy. The policy aims to ensure that those Service personnel who leave from the trained and untrained strengths, with no entitlement to normal resettlement provisions, receive sign-posting to advice on benefits, Job Centre Plus and housing advice as well as guidance on how to contact the ex-Service welfare organisations including SSAFA Forces Help. All early leavers will also receive a mandatory interview by trained staff who will seek to identify those who are vulnerable and where necessary refer them to more specialist assistance. This new policy fills an important gap in our otherwise excellent Service transition programme.
I should also mention that we have established a post-discharge mentoring study which will enable us to track the progress of our most vulnerable Early Leavers. The mentoring will involve face-to-face interviews at 3 and 6 month intervals after discharge. The focus of the mentoring will primarily be on barriers to employment. Again, we are now putting the finishing touches to a truly comprehensive approach to transition. And in doing so I hope we will further reduce the small percentage of personnel who face difficulties in civilian life.
Now finding accommodation is obviously a key factor in the transition process. Over the last few years the Ministry of Defence has focused on the delivery of tri-Service housing support and advice through successful initiatives such as the Joint Service Housing Advice Office which works alongside SSAFA's Housing Advisory Service in Salisbury, the Single Persons Accommodation Centre, run by English Churches in Catterick, and the Armed Forces Project, run by Shelter in Colchester.
Some of you will be aware that the English Churches Housing Group partnership led to the development of 13 units of short-term supported accommodation in Richmond, North Yorkshire, called “The Galleries”. This project was aimed at those people identified by the SPACES team as being at risk of homelessness after leaving the Armed Forces. “The Galleries” has been successful and demand has exceeded capacity. We have therefore been working with English Churches to develop a similar project in Aldershot. I hope that this new scheme will be launched shortly.
We also recognise that some veterans become homeless many years after leaving the Armed Forces. This is the problem that we are trying to tackle in the work that we do with your organisation and our other partners in the Ex-Service Action Group on Homelessness (ESAG).
Over the last year I am pleased that my Department - together with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister - has been able to support ESAG and other organisations in areas such as funding for publications, capital and revenue funding for new accommodation, and funding of a key worker for the Ex-Service Resettlement Project.
We have also linked the Metropolitan Police Homeless Unit to ESAG and Crisis to develop a referral system, and we are currently assisting ESAG to develop additional short-term supported accommodation for younger homeless veterans in London.
Some of you may be aware of Project Compass, a partnership initiative with Business in the Community, Training for Life and the private sector including defence industry and corporate leaders such as KPMG. The Project has been able to provide employment focussed programmes for homeless veterans. A successful 12-month pilot scheme has been completed in London and we now intend to re-launch a more permanent project in September this year which aims to continue the work in London, link in to the established the Ministry of Defence projects in Yorkshire and Colchester and progressively roll out the programme to other areas in the UK.
I was very proud to help launch the new Project Plan for Compass last month. It is an exciting example - in my view - of the way Government, the voluntary sector and the private sector can work together for the benefit of ex-Service personnel.
Of course, we need to measure the impact of all of this work and provide evidence for future policy decisions. The Ministry of Defence, working jointly with the Office of Deputy Prime Minister, the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales and ESAG, has therefore commissioned King's College London to conduct the first phase of a UK wide study into the extent and location of ex-Service homelessness. This first phase- a feasibility study that will define the methodology to be used for main research across the UK - is almost complete. The intention is to complete the main study by the end of March next year.
Firstly, there may sometimes be occasions when we disagree. That is life and indeed politics. However, what I expect is for SSAFA if it has concerns to firstly be up to date with current issues, and secondly to raise these issues through our usual and open arrangements that do exist. I am sure that our relationship is strong enough for this to take place.
Secondly, all this work costs money, and I was pleased to launch the new Veterans Challenge Fund last year. The Challenge Fund aims to 'pump-prime' new veterans' projects, and appears to be doing well. It has already received many bids for this financial year, including your successful bid for £8,500 for the funding of 2 playgrounds for your Stepping Stone Homes at Longside House in Blaydon in the North East, and Gildea House in Harrow, in London. SSAFA-Forces Help seems to be taking a liking to the Fund and we have received a further three bids from you.
And I am pleased to announce today that we can agree to make an initial contribution of one year's extra costs - £10,000 - to allow the upgrading of the post of Divisional Secretary in your London Homeless Division. This will help to boost the Division's contribution to this crucial area of work.
In addition we aim to contribute one year's capitation rate - £22,000 - for a post in your Housing Advisory Service. I was surprised to note that the number of clients seen has jumped from 900 in 1998 to 1600 in 2003. I think on reflection we can reasonably expect to see this interest continue to rise in the future.
In all these cases, the work the Challenge Fund will help to promote your work, and fits well with my aim of preventing or tackling homelessness among ex-Service personnel.
I am pleased to see that the links between Service establishments and veterans continue to develop. I am constantly trying to find ways for veterans to make use of the social, mess and other facilities at the base of their previous Regiment or Unit on appropriate occasions. I know that some SSAFA members also have a keen interest in these arrangements. I was pleased that the Royal Air Force was the first to introduce measures that improve access to Messes for those who have left the Service. We are now exploring how these measures can be adopted by the other Services so that we can really improve links with our veterans at local level.
Finally, I should mention my plans for the first ever “Veterans Awareness Week” in July next year, to conclude with the 60th Anniversary Commemorations of the Second World War. I want this to develop into annual event that that celebrates veterans and promotes the work of the ex-Service organisations. I hope that SSAFA will be closely involved in this exciting and challenging initiative.
As you may gather, I am very much enjoying the role of Veterans Minister. However, there remains a lot more work to do and I am determined to carry it through. I can only do that in partnership with organisations such as your own. You all know as well as I do that SSAFA is a remarkable organisation which is based on a selfless spirit. I want to thank you personally for your continued support for the men and women who make the British Armed Forces the best in the world.
