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Minister For Veterans Speech to COBSEO AGM - Wednesday 24 September 2003
Introduction
COBSEO: importance of relationship, further co-operation
Pensions and Compensation Review
OP Telic Situation Update
Veterans
Major New Issues
ID Cards
Concluding remark
Thanks
Ladies and Gentlemen thank you very much for inviting me to deliver the key
note speech to the 2003 COBSEO Annual General Meeting. Many thanks to your
Chairman, Major General Shellard for his kind words. Since being appointed
Minister for Veterans in June I have begun to meet and get to know the
Veterans' community and today's gathering presents me with a valuable opportunity
to continue to do so.
New Minister
I want to develop and consolidate the important relationships that are being
forged through the Veterans Initiative, and to encourage a forward looking
approach while continuing to commemorate the past bravery of our armed
forces, I have already very much enjoyed several visits to do just this.
I have been to Dublin to visit Leopardstown Hospital, Korea for the 50th
Anniversary of the end of hostilities, Norway for the unveiling of a British
war memorial and earlier this month I went to Ypres to attend the honoured
burial of an unknown soldier from the Great War. It is my intention to
deliver the Government's Veterans Strategy and raise awareness of its aims
and objectives in all Government Departments and at every level of government
in the UK.
This is only possible with help from each of your charities and through organisations such as COBSEO. Your ideas on implementation are very important. I am a very strong believer in Open Government and my door will always be open to any of you.
COBSEO: importance of relationship, further co-operation
I see COBSEO's main role being as a two-way channel of communications to and from its member organisations and charities for Service and Ex-Servicemen and women. It has been a great pleasure for me to begin to build up an excellent relationship with Mike Shellard, during informal discussions and I am sure that this will develop further. Good progress is being made on the review of collaborative working relationships. Further expansion of the role of COBSEO is still needed, as has been highlighted by a development report from the Older Peoples Advisory Group who made the point that, and I quote: "there are so many service orientated help agencies - 168 of them - that deciding which one to go to for help is in itself a problem. Somehow they must be encouraged to form one united body. COBSEO have made a good start but is constrained by very few resources.
There are three main topics that I intend to address today the Pensions and Compensation Review, an overview of the current operational situation in Iraq and the Veterans Initiative, particularly, expanding on what your Chairman has already said about the three new workstreams. I would of course be happy to answer questions on these or any other aspects of Government policy before I leave your AGM today.
PENSIONS AND COMPENSATION REVIEW
Intro - general good thing
So, something that is close to all our hearts - pensions. As you are aware,
I announced the new Armed Forces Pension Scheme and compensation arrangements
last week. The package of benefits is not only fairer than the current
system, but also reflects modern good practice and offers a high level
of assurance for Service personnel. It is designed to meet the needs of
the Armed Forces in the 21st century.
I want to place on record my thanks to the ex-Service community which was helpful during the consultative process, providing much constructive input. As you have seen from the final package of benefits, wherever it was possible, account has been taken of the ex-Service community's concerns. In particular, there are increased dependants' benefits over and above the original draft proposals and the time limit for claims for attributable injury or illness has been increased to 5 years.
We are particularly pleased that we have been able to make further improvements from the original proposals in 3 key areas: the increase of widow's non-attributable pensions by 25 percent; the increase of the death-in-service lump sum from a maximum of 1½ times to 4 times pensionable pay for all deaths; and the inclusion of benefits for registered unmarried partners for all deaths in the new AFPS and Compensation schemes, as well as attributable deaths in the current AFPS. These are the main areas of concern to today's Armed Forces so I was delighted to be able to resolve them.
TRBL reaction
Against this background of improvement, I am frankly disappointed by the
reaction of the Royal British Legion. There is grudging acknowledgement
for some of the improvements we have made. But in their response there
are a number of badly misleading statements. The worst of these is that
the RBL says in its press release of 16 September that those whose injuries
or illnesses were due to service in the Gulf conflicts, or anywhere else,
will be "out of time " if they have not made a claim by the
time the new compensation scheme is introduced in April 2005. That is simply
not true. The Government has made crystal clear that Service personnel
whose conditions have causes which pre-date the introduction of the new
compensation scheme in April 2005 are covered under the existing arrangements
- so these new arrangements will have no effect on current veterans.
The final package aims to meet the needs of our Service personnel and their families, responding positively to their expressed needs. I believe firmly that the new pensions and compensation schemes recognise the special status of the Armed Forces. I have a responsibility to provide the best possible arrangements for the Armed Forces, however, this is dramatically undermined if an organisation like the Royal British Legion do not accept their responsibilities to the process. I am afraid life is never about being able to get your own way all the time.
There is still plenty of work to be done over the coming months in developing the detail. We will continue to work closely with the ex-Service community to tap into the expertise of your organisations - but it must be constructive, honest and understanding.
Moving on, I would like to give you a brief update on the military situation in Iraq from a UK perspective.
Intro
Armed Forces personnel are deployed on many ongoing Operations around the
world, of which Op TELIC is by far our largest operation. The troops in
Iraq continue to follow the examples set through history, and particularly
those from the last 50 years. They are showing great dedication, strength
and courage, in incredibly difficult, dangerous and constantly changing
circumstances. I know that they will have your full support in the months
ahead.
Troops deployed
Currently around 10,100 British forces personnel are deployed in Iraq on
Op TELIC. The majority of these are the Land component but we are retaining
significant air and naval troops. The UK's Land Component is based in the
South East of Iraq and forms the core of the Multinational Division South
East with the Division HQ based on HQ 3 (UK) Division. The deployed UK
brigade is 19 Mechanised Brigade from Catterick and their Brigade HQ is
based in the Presidential Palace in Basrah with 5 infantry battlegroups.
The Maritime Component consists of 4 ships in the Gulf whilst the Air Component
has 6 Tornados based in Kuwait and various support aircraft based in Bahrain
and Oman.
Current Situation
The PJHQ assessment of the current situation is that the Multinational Division
South East area is safe and secure despite the recent deaths of UK personnel.
However, in response to these attacks enhanced force protection measures
have been implemented. PJHQ assesses that the attacks were uncoordinated
and not linked to each other, and no particular organisation is thought
to be responsible. Currently, only very small areas are assessed as being
'tolerant with occasional outbreaks of violence', with the large majority
of the Multinational Division South East area being assessed as 'friendly'.
General Officer Commanding Multinational Division South East has commenced
discussions with senior religious, political and tribal figures in each
Province of the area to try and bind the key local leaders together in
supporting a way forward.
Equipment
Op TELIC has demonstrated the combat effectiveness of our major fighting
equipments. For example, the performance of Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior
and AS90 was a great success. The modified SA80 A2 assault rifle also performed
extremely well in the hot and dusty environment and the Storm Shadow stand-off
missile provided a highly valuable extra element to the UK's precision
bombing capability. Furthermore this operation is a timely reminder of
the importance of keeping our Armed Forces properly equipped. A substantial
programme of investment in new fighting equipment is in place to ensure
that our Servicemen and women have the technological and capability advantage
they need to undertake and succeed in the tasks we ask of them.
The right equipment though is only one element of support.
UK Forces Gulf Fund
You will be aware that in response to public demand the UK Forces Gulf Fund
was established in March this year to channel donations from the public for
the UK Forces, from both the Services and attached civilian personnel.
I am pleased to tell you that to date the total amount pledged is in excess of £300,000.
Op TELIC Remembrance Service
It is also my hope that this fund will be given even more support from the
public in the period leading up to and after the Op TELIC Service of Remembrance
to be held in St Paul's Cathedral on October 10th. It will be attended
by Her Majesty The Queen, other members of the Royal Family, the Prime
Minister and other members of the Cabinet, and Ambassadors, but mainly
by Service personnel who took part in the Operation and the next of kin
of those who died. The service will mark the achievement of our Forces
and the exemplary way in which they carried out the Operation, and will
be a tribute to those who lost their lives.
OP TELIC HEALTH
We also continue to recognise the great importance of the well being of our
personnel, both while on operations and once they have returned.
Lessons Learnt
Our work directed at finding out why some veterans of previous operations
are ill continues. Lessons have been learnt and changes implemented since
then, in order to improve the Operational Health of those in theatre. Developments
have been made in medical record keeping through the introduction of a new
operational medical record form which is now in use. This should ensure that
health issues while on deployment are more systematically recorded than in
the past. Care is taken to ensure that accurate records are maintained by
recording all the vaccinations on individuals' medical records.
Post-deployment health measures
Forces are returning to find a comprehensive post-deployment package including
a post-deployment briefing, and support including specialised psychiatric
and medical services if they are required. Any Op TELIC service personnel
who may be concerned about their health can attend the Gulf Veterans' Medical
Assessment Programme.
Research programme
A research programme into the health of those recently in the Gulf has also
been launched. Researchers from King's College London have held face-to-face
interviews with 64 personnel on their return to provide data on any emerging
concerns about possible exposures and health effects. Once personnel have
returned to duty and resumed their normal lives, the second stage will
begin; which will be the issue of questionnaires to a large representative
cohort of those who were deployed, seeking further data on health status.
We are setting up an oversight board to monitor the research, chaired by
an independent scientist.
I now intend to touch on some of the Veteran subjects I have been looking at since I came into post in June.
AFOPS
Intro
As you know, the Armed Forces Overarching Personnel Strategy, AFOPS, provides
a framework for all aspects of the Service personnel policy agenda. We have
a 'whole life' philosophy and a key theme of AFOPS is to provide ex-Service
personnel and their dependants with help and support, particularly with resettlement
back into civilian life.
Linking Personnel strategy to Strategy for Veterans
In essence, our personnel policies must ensure that they deliver the people
component of operational capability in the short and long term. Establishing
and maintaining the right balance between recruitment and retention is
key and that in turn requires a balanced employment package. The Veterans
Initiative, therefore, is an important part of sustaining the men and women
of the Armed Forces. They need to know that, when they choose to leave
the Forces and take up a second career, that the Department will provide
them with the necessary guidance and the most vulnerable need to be given
the support they require. We aim to look after our people from the cradle
to the grave, and to remember them afterwards. All those who leave the
Service however young are veterans and need to be supported.
An example of 'whole life' - review bereavement procedures
I want to show you how this works in practise at the most difficult time
- a death in Service. We have conducted a thorough review of the Department's
bereavement procedures; this continues to take place following experiences
gained during Op TELIC. The aim of the review is to simplify procedures,
and to create a unified approach in supporting bereaved families. Correspondence
to 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. We will continue
to keep this under review.
Research
The commitment of the Government as a whole to the Veterans Initiative is
demonstrated by the publication last week of a cross-Government funded
study by researchers at King's College London. This preliminary scoping
study will inform the direction of policy and research, and represents
a valuable contribution to the Veterans Initiative. I am pleased to confirm
that many of the proposals are in line with actions already underway as
part of the Veterans Initiative and other Service programmes.
Intro - cross governmental policy
We don't just work vertically - i.e. 'cradle to grave' but also horizontally
to join up service delivery across government. The Strategy for Veterans
aims to ensure a coherent cross-governmental policy for veterans with government
departments, the devolved administration and Local Authorities, working in
partnership with the ex-service community.
Content of the 3 NEW WORK-STREAMS
This is epitomised in the 3 new work streams mentioned by your Chairman.
To recap they are first: Optimising the Transition of Service Personnel
to Civilian Life. Second: Improving the Status and Recognition of Veterans
in Wider Society, and third: Improving the Support Available to Veterans.
They have been designed to re-focus the work of the Veterans Initiative,
and so by having a look in greater detail at them, we can see some of the
tangible improvements the Veterans Initiative has brought to the lives
of veterans.
So now I would like to say a little more about these, starting
with, the link between being in-service and a veteran, transition.
1 TRANSITION - Early Service Leavers Initiative
The great majority of those who leave service successfully re-integrate into
civilian life, as the King's Report concludes "Over three quarters of
service leavers do well and gain employment after leaving ". According
to our figures 95 percent of those currently entitled to resettlement successfully
reintegrate into civilian life. The transition can, however, be difficult
especially for Early Service Leavers. One of the recommendations in the King's
Report is that the Career Transition Partnership arrangements are broadened
to include the more vulnerable service leavers.
The Early Service Leavers Initiative is implementing a programme that will address theses concerns and significantly improve the transition process for Early Service Leavers, with the overarching aim being to create a resettlement umbrella that will cover all service leavers. It will ensure that those who need it will receive a signposting service including, a mandatory resettlement brief or interview, at Unit level. It will cover: guidance on access to DWP benefits and Job Centres, housing associations, ex-service charity and welfare organisations and financial guidance. Furthermore they will receive a mandatory 1:1 interview, at Unit level, to cover an assessment of vulnerability and to create a plan of action to include as necessary further referrals to the available assistance. There is also the intention to track the progress of the Early Service Leavers through the DWP.
2 RECOGNITION
The second of these is recognition, and I want to say a few words now about
the ongoing commemorative events. The years up to 2005 bring a succession
of important anniversaries of significant actions in the Second World War.
I want to be able to do as much as possible to make them special occasions
for veterans of these events and their families. For the commemoration
of the 60th anniversary of D-Day in Normandy next June, the Government
aims to provide two bands and to be represented at Ministerial and senior
officer level. In addition, the Home Office has agreed to provide free
passports from January 2004 for veterans attending recognised World War
II commemorative events. I would be grateful if associations represented
here today could take back with them an information leaflet and distribute
the information throughout your respective memberships. I am also able
to confirm to you that P&O Ferries are offering a 50 percent discount
to veterans' groups travelling to Normandy for that week of events.
Commemorative events beyond 2004
I have heard it said that a special effort should be made in June 2004 because
this could be the last chance for many veterans to attend the commemorative
events. This may be true, but I want to put arrangements in place to make
sure that just as many people, if not more, attend commemorative events
in 2014, 2024 and even 2044. This doesn't mean that I am offering veterans
eternal life, but that we find a way of encouraging future generations
to carry forward the baton of Remembrance. Furthermore I see this as just
a beginning for continuing to commemorate many other conflicts and operations
that our forces are involved in.
Education Project
So I wanted to give the strongest personal and departmental support to bring
to young people's attention what being a veteran is all about and why.
The project will include Project Postcards being sent to all secondary
schools in the UK, its own website and an accompanying education pack.
A competition has been organised with the help and co-operation of veterans'
organisations targeting 13 and 14 year olds. Pupils from the winning Schools
I hope will go to Normandy to participate in preparations for the 4th of
June, or for the actual day itself.
This is an important partnership which involves the Imperial War Museum, the Royal British Legion and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission all of whom deserve special praise for their work to date, together with officials at the MOD.
Suez medal
Another focus of great interest on the "recognition " theme is
medals and as Geoff Hoon reminded me recently, I am the "Minister for
Medals ". In June the Prime Minister announced that veterans who served
in the Suez Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954 are to be awarded the General
Service Medal. We expect approval to be given shortly and the medal offices
are geared up to begin issue as soon as the go-ahead is given. I hope some
of the medals will be distributed before Remembrance Sunday and most veterans
will receive theirs during the course of 2004.
3 SUPPORT
Mental health
The third workstream is support for veterans, and the important work being
done relating to mental health is a good example of the cross-governmental
approach in action, with the emphasis on prevention.
Connections DH
There has been good and effective dialogue established between us and the
Department of Health to develop a strategy for improving the quality of
NHS services for veterans through joint working on projects such as addressing
the culture gap between civilian and armed forces life.
Mentally ill employment
Getting and retaining suitable employment is also an issue for those with
mental health problems. We are pleased to be involved with two new initiatives.
The Social Exclusion Unit project is an inter-departmental project aimed
at answering 2 questions. How can we help people with mental health difficulties
enter and retain employment and what more can be done to give them opportunities
for social participation and access to services?
DWP link
We are also in touch with the DWP and the Pathways to Work team. The Welfare
to Work Strategy is based on the premise that work is good for health,
providing much more than financial reward, and that everyone, particularly
those with disabilities should have opportunities to work. Starting next
month there will be a series of rehabilitation pilot schemes, addressing
employment skills and attitudes, and it is important for the MOD and the
DWP to have close contact on this initiative.
OPAG
As I mentioned earlier we have also been continuing our work with the Older
Peoples Advisory Group. They have provided a first report on what older
people think of the Veterans Initiative and what more can be done to improve
the long term care of vulnerable veterans, and it will be considered by
the first meeting of the Executive Steering Group in October.
Residential Care
We also need to determine whether there is a gap between the funding per
person provided by the Local Authority and the actual cost per person of
running a home for residential care is already underway with Health on
this area.
Homelessness
As part of our work with the Ex-Services Action Group on Homelessness (ESAG),
MOD officials and the Chairman of ESAG met the Association of Local Government
and Greater London Authority and are currently following up some new opportunities
to raise awareness of ex-Service homelessness issues, including the assistance
available to homeless ex-Service personnel and ensuring that ex-Service
issues are included in Local Authority Housing Strategies.
A similar meeting has been held with officials from the Welsh Assembly to help gain recognition for veterans in Wales and raise awareness of the support available to them elsewhere in the UK and we plan to hold a similar meeting with officials from the Scottish Office in the near future.
Another area of development is to commission wider UK research into ex-Service homelessness. Jointly funded by MOD, ODPM and ESAG, the aim is to target local authorities in the UK that have the largest populations of ex-Service homeless to give us a better understanding of the extent of the problem, the reasons that homelessness occurred and when the problems began and the type of resettlement advice available at that time. This will enable us to formulate better in-Service preventative measures and target support where it is needed.
Veterans Agency welfare service
The Veterans Agency has been reviewing the role of the 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 and strengthening this
partnership will be an important aspect of the future development of the
Welfare Service.
5 CHARITIES BILL
I thought it would be useful to update you today on the Charities Bill and its current standing.
Process - consultation
As many of you will know, the Government decided to carry out a thorough
review of the law and regulation of charities. This involved consulting
widely both within and outside the sector. Among the proposals will be
a package of legal measures that will facilitate mergers within the sector
and be of help to the administrative running of charities.
Forces charitable status
Organisations connected to HM Forces have always been covered under the 'catch
all' category of "Other purposes beneficial to the community ".
The Government accepts the Review's recommendation to remove this status
for Armed Forces'. I can assure you this is not a precursor to the removal
of charitable status.
Future changes - registration of forces charities
There is, however, a potential need in future for Service charities to register
with the Charity Commissioners. In practice, however, many Service Funds
will not need to register with the Charity Commission because the Government
intends to set the turnover threshold initially at a level likely to minimise
additional work.
Project Compass
Some of you may recall that over a year ago, MOD and ODPM formed a partnership
with Business in the Community, Training for Life and defence companies
to run a 12 month pilot project in London aimed at providing new opportunities
for ex-Service people who become homeless. The outcome was Project Compass,
which assesses the needs of the participants and takes them through modules
of work and support designed at raising self-esteem and motivation, employment
training and work placement schemes.
I am delighted at the support from COBSEO for this project and the Army Benevolent Fund in particular, who have funded vocational training for some of the participants.
Project Compass is a good example of an Action Centred Research Project that has in the course of implementation served to improve the assistance available for this vulnerable group of ex-service personnel. As a result of the Project, Business in The Community have developed links with the Galleries Project in Catterick and Combat Stress and are now providing additional opportunities for personal development and work placements.
Disregards
Another example of progress being made through the Veterans' Initiative is
the campaign to persuade Local Councils to disregard war pensions when
means testing for Housing Benefit and Council Tax purposes. In 2003 this
resulted in policy changes at the local authorities for Manchester, Chester-le-Street,
East Lindsey District Council, South Tyneside, Weymouth and Portland Borough
Council. This will improve the lives of about 4500 war pensioners and war
widows/widowers. This campaign provides yet another demonstration of the
value of Government working in partnership with the charitable sector.
As far as the remaining 16 local authorities go I have added my personal
support by writing to the leaders of each of them urging them to follow
suit. I hope that they will reconsider the position of their Council over
the next year.
Challenge Fund
I announced on 15th July plans for a new Challenge Fund of up to £2
million for Service veterans' projects over the next three years. The Fund
will be used to look at projects dedicated specifically to Veterans.
The money is available - and as yet there have not been many organisations coming forward with proposals. It's not too often that the MOD offers to spend its money on your behalf, so do take advantage of it and come up with ideas for exciting projects for veterans. If you don't spend it then I will have to come up with the ideas myself to spend this pump-priming fund.
I want to conclude on one major issue that has given me considerable concern and affects current members of our Armed Forces - it comes back to that all important transition to civilian life.
Increased contact between in-service and veterans
I am pleased to see that there are increasing links between Service establishments
and veterans - which is also another example of the 'joined up' approach.
We are trying to find ways for Veterans to make use of the social and mess
facilities at the base of their previous Regiment or Unit on appropriate
occasions. I know that the Royal Air Force have instigated measures that
improve access to Messes for those who have left the Service and my staff
are investigating the feasibility of how this development can be adopted
by the other Services. The commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the
end of hostilities in Korea was a wonderful occasion which demonstrated
the ways in which current service personnel and veterans can be brought
together to the mutual benefit of all. Not only were veterans present but
there was also a Regular Honour Guard. Young servicemen and women who did
their country proud and I believe learnt so much from their interaction
with veterans during their time in Korea.
Working together with the Service chiefs I am determined that
the transition from the forces should be as easy and respectful as possible.
I have to tell you that I was appalled that we literally cut up peoples'
ID cards when they leave or retire.
Therefore I am announcing today that this quite degrading practice will end
on 31 December. We will announce further details shortly, but this will start
in the New Year and be subject to local command requirements. I am confident
this initiative will help to ease the transition to civilian life.
As you can see I am enjoying the role of Veterans Minister however there is a lot of work to do and I am determined that we will move on much of this work as quickly as possible.
Finally, thank you for the many messages of support I received on taking up the post and for the continued support and help I know you will give the men and women who make the British Armed Forces the best in the world.
