Ladies and Gentlemen,
It's a pleasure to be here in Bournemouth at this key event for the Royal British Legion. I'm delighted to see so many veterans and volunteers from all over the country. It's a chance to debate some serious issues. Your discussions over the next couple of days will help to shape the Legion's Agenda over the coming year.
And as Veterans Minister I'll be following these discussions with a very close interest. The Legion are very important stakeholders - and much valued partners in our drive to ensure our Veterans are well supported and properly recognised.
So one of my first messages today is my commitment to work in partnership and in an open and transparent way with you.
Together, we've got a huge task. Today's Veterans community numbers some 10 million people when families are included. Men and women of every age and background. Living and working in towns and cities across the UK.
You know better than me that there's really no such thing as a typical Veteran. But I am sure we can all agree that they're a pretty resourceful and self reliant group. I've met many Veterans since I arrived at the MOD last year - I've never failed to be impressed by them.
This country owes each of them a huge debt of gratitude for everything they have achieved on our behalf. And of course the vital work so many continue to do in their own communities.
And what's always so striking - I think - is the unique bond these Veterans share. Whenever I meet Veterans - when I'm presenting Veterans Badges for example - I'm always struck by how many of them tell me that the time they spent in the forces was the most formative period of their lives.
That in serving their country they found a new and extended family. And friendships that endure to this day.
The Legion cements that bond. As you know the British Legion was founded in 1921 as a response to those bleak and chaotic years following the First World War.
Men who had survived the slaughter and squalor of the trenches returned to a country with no jobs.
Men like my own grandfather who never spoke to his family of what he went through in those terrible years, or the friends he lost. His was a story that only came to light many years later when I learnt that he had been a stretcher bearer who went out on numerous occasions to rescue wounded comrades under heavy machine gun and mortar fire, he was also wounded himself. For his actions he was awarded the military medal.
The Britain of 1918 had neither the energy, nor the funds, to support men like my grandfather. Yes - there were some service charities. And they did their best. But there was no single organisation to speak for these men.
The formation of the British Legion in 1921 changed all that - for the first time there was drive and cohesion. Veterans had a voice. And some real clout.
I think it's a mark of your vision that one of the very first things the Legion did in those early days was to set up a special employment committee which actively lobbied employers to take on disabled ex-servicemen. It's vital work that the Legion continues to this day.
The local Legion was certainly a focal point for men like my own father who served in the Royal Artillery. And indeed the generations that followed him. Where I grew up - in Widnes - the Legion was at the heart of the community. And today in my own constituency of Halton - the Legion continues to be a strong and very active presence in the community.
The kind of practical support and guidance that the Legion is able to offer today just wasn't there in my Grandfather's day.
The community of Veterans organisations is vibrant and diverse - looking around the room at the recent meeting of the Veterans Plenary Forum at the Victory Services Club in London it struck me just how many organisations there are championing the cause of our veterans today.
And how committed they are. That Forum is an annual event hosted by us, and a great opportunity for all parties to get together and discuss the cross Government Veterans Strategy.
My mention of cross Government working here is quite deliberate by the way - because at the end of the day there are issues which we at the MOD do not have ownership of. Like pensions for example - which is a lead for the Department for Work and Pensions and of course the NHS.
The British Legion is busier than ever - and each of you here will testify to that. But what's the Government doing? How has the MOD been playing its part?
Well, we've been busy too. My post as as Veterans Minister is still a relatively new one - indeed this is the first Government to have introduced this role. I meet with service organisations regularly, and the Legion is no exception.
We have a 30 strong team in London - the Veterans Policy Unit - working solely on Veterans issues. And of course we also have a newly formed dedicated Agency - the Service Personnel and Veterans Agency - offering help and support.
One of the key pillars of that support is a Freephone Helpline. Last year in its former incarnation as the Veterans Agency a team of dedicated staff handled a staggering 356,466 calls.
The Helpline is a tremendous 'One Stop' service - I've had a spot of 'work experience' myself listening in on calls during a recent visit. I was tremendously impressed by the professionalism and commitment of the staff providing that vital service.
I know that you are debating a number of issues here today. But I'd just like to single out a couple of them in particular - those concerning Equipment and Military Managed Wards. Because these are two issues which have both received a lot of media attention in recent months. And which both require some context.
Let's start with the Motion on your agenda which, and I quote: "deplores the scarcity and poor quality of equipment of our Armed Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan".
First of all - I have personally visited both Iraq and Afghanistan, and spoken to our forces there. These highly professional men and women - Regulars and Reservists - are doing a fantastic job in difficult and dangerous environments. I know I speak for all of us here in this room when I say how proud we are of them.
So any suggestion that we are in any way selling our people short is something I take very seriously indeed. I think it's very important that I set the record straight on this whole equipment issue. So let's look at the facts.
The overwhelming message I got when speaking to them in theatre was that their personal kit was the best they had had - this is not to say everything was perfect, dare I mention boots!
We have invested hugely in new equipment to meet the specific circumstances and evolving threats our forces face in Iraq and Afghanistan. About £6.6bn has been provided for these specific theatres since 2001. This has been new money from the Reserve, not from the defence budget.
This includes £700M spent through our urgent operational requirement - or UOR - process on new force protection equipment for these theatres. On everything from helmets to electronic counter measures.
These are large amounts of money. But no less than our people deserve. To put this level of expenditure into context let me just give you the rundown on just a few of the highlights:
- Three 16,000 tonne naval auxiliary landings ships of the Bay class
- Titan and Trojan armoured engineer tanks
- The Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, delivered on schedule prior to deployment to Afghanistan
- Sixteen Typhoon combat aircraft
- New protected vehicles for Iraq and Afghanistan like Vector and Mastiff
We've also placed contracts for more battlefield support helicopters. Twelve new Nimrod patrol aircraft - Not to mention a range of personal equipment - including the very latest body armour, helmets and night vision equipment.
I believe the facts speak for themselves. Our forces are getting the equipment they need, when they need it. That is not just my view. It is the view of the people who I met on the ground. One commander, just back from Afghanistan, described his equipment to me as a quantum leap forward to that he had in Iraq just three years before.
Let me turn now to that other issue you'll be debating today. The Motion which calls for - and I quote - assurances that "… troops injured during conflicts are treated on military only wards".
Now, I'm delighted to have the chance to clarify the situation on this, because medical support and welfare are a key part of my portfolio. And it's an area around which there's been a lot of misunderstanding.
The Royal Centre of Defence Medicine, which is fully integrated with the University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust, provides our personnel with access to a world class pool of expert consultants.
The most important thing for our wounded personnel is that they get the best possible treatment. Nowhere is better equipped and able to do this than Selly Oak. And how am I so sure of this? Because I visit wounded personnel there on a regular basis.
My priorities for the medical support of our people are clear. First to make sure that they have the best possible care. Saving lives and providing the best clinical treatment comes first.
Second to make sure that our service medics have the range and volume of cases they need to train and develop their skills. Skills that save lives on operations. The volume military patients would not sustain a Military hospital and provide this vital training. The number of patient we have at any one time would not fill two wards.
So we cooperate with the NHS and use NHS hospitals. Where our medics can get the training they need. And where our patients can be treated not only by our own personnel but by the best that the NHS has to offer.
As people begin to recover, we recognise that a military environment becomes increasingly important. So, as and when patients' clinical needs allow, they are brought together in a military managed ward.
Clearly this cannot be done for all cases e.g. burns or neurological problems. At Selly Oak a combined team of military and civilian personnel provide care for those military patients whose condition permit this.
There are now military managers involved at every level and 26 military nurses. By this summer that number will increase to 39 when the ward reaches full operating capability.
By using military doctors, an increased number of military nurses, and by bringing military patients together in this manner, personnel can benefit from a military environment and still have access to the resources and facilities available in a leading NHS hospital.
I know there has been much debate - often well intentioned but ill informed - about whether this is the right approach. The Service medical community believes it is. And having seen the excellence of the facilities myself, and spoken to staff, patients and families I am convinced that they are right.
The recent survey of patients recovering there reports that care and treatment is either excellent, very good or good. The feedback I receive is very positive.
As the Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Richard Dannatt said in March, "There is nowhere better in the country, nowhere more expert at polytrauma medicine, than that hospital in Selly Oak, that's why our people are there."
Turning to the issue of mental health. There is good support for our serving personnel both back in the UK and in Operations. Briefing is given both pre and post operations on mental health and many now also undergo a period of Decompression before returning home from op's.
We also commission extensive reseach on mental health issues including tracking the progress of personnel who have undertaken operational tours. In fact it was as a result of this reseach that it was it was decided to set up the Reservists mental health programme which I annouced last November.
Responsibility for veterans' mental health lies with the NHS and has done so since 1948. However, it is clear that we need to do more to help those veterans who may be suffering from a mental illness related to their service, which can of course include PTSD. That's one of the reasons why we' re working with the NHS and Combat Stress developing a new community- based model of mental health services for Veterans.
Our plan is to provide health care providers with access to expert and experienced guidance on the particular mental health problems associated with Veterans. Combat Stress will get a significant increase in funding, and we will be making an announcement about this - and other initiatives- over the coming weeks.
As veterans minister I am absolutely committed to this.
I believe this generation of Veterans is better prepared than ever before for the transition to ‘Civvy Street'. To embark on a new stage in their lives. Around 23,000 men and women leave the forces every year, and many of that number are still at an early stage in their working lives. The vast majority make that transition with no problem.
We have an excellent and comprehensive resettlement programme. But I would actually argue that we start preparing service personnel for that transition from the very first day of an individual's military career. By equipping them with vital skills and training which will help them in civilian life.
This is a very important point here. Despite the problems we hear about, serving in the Armed Forces is a very positive experience for the vast majority. And it gives them the skills, discipline and confidence to succeed in civilian life. We do not hear enough about this.
Defence today is absolutely signed up to the Government's drive for lifelong learning. The Armed Forces are a dynamic learning community. We're one of the biggest training organisations in this country today and absolutely committed to developing the potential of our servicemen and women.
And this training covers an entire learning spectrum, by the way. From promoting good basic skills, right through to GCSEs and A levels, sponsoring personnel at University, providing opportunities in FE to gain essential qualifications such as NVQs.
And wherever possible personnel can continue with their studies in theatre - we now have Learning Centres on the ground in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
At any time we have about 14,500 men and women studying for apprenticeships - that's a figure that exceeds just about every big employer in this country today.
Our Career Transition Partnership scheme begins assisting service personnel well before they leave - it's got a great success rate and 94% of those enrolled on the scheme find work within six months of leaving the forces.
All well and good, I hear you say. But what about the men and women who come to us at the Legion for help? Vulnerable individuals - usually Early Service leavers, often very young and with little family support - who just slip through the net. Who don't know how to access the support that's out there? Of course - we do have to do more.
But we certainly recognise that that some of our Early Service Leavers may need special support, and we have a dedicated scheme to help and assess their individual level of need.
We're also launching a 'light touch' mentoring scheme, which will provide people with a friendly contact who will give practical support when it comes to filling in forms, for example.
Housing is a problem. And not just for those in the Armed Forces. A lack of affordable housing is a nationwide problem that affects many people.
But we are working on the problem. This is an area in which the MOD is working very closely with ex-service organisations such as the RBL, as well at the Department for Communities and Local Government who are the policy lead in Whitehall for this issue.
We're currently in discussions with the DCLG to clarify the whole issue of personnel needing to prove a local connection when applying for housing.
Since September service personnel are now eligible to qualify under the Government's Key Worker Living Programme. This will give some military personnel and their families a real opportunity for stability and a chance to get on the housing ladder.
Progress is being made all the time.
A recent study by York University found that ex-servicemen make up 6% of the homeless population in London.
Yes - of course one homeless person is one too many. But just compare that figure to a decade ago - in 1997, 22% of all homeless people in London were Veterans. We're bringing accommodation on stream all the time. Like Mike Jackson House - named after the former CGS - a hostel that's being opened shortly in Aldershot.
I visited the Compass project in London where ex servicemen I met told me how it was helping to change their lives.
Many of you here today may already be familiar with the initiative - MOD and the RBL have formed a unique partnership with accountancy firm KPMG and "Business In The Community" to put nearly 200 homeless ex-servicemen and women back into work and independent living.
This is exactly the kind of project which I'm delighted to say is making a real difference to the lives of homeless veterans.
Welfare and aftercare are at the heart of everything the Legion does and stands for. And making sure that transition is a seamless process is a responsibility for all of us. MOD, the military and other Government departments such as the Department of Health. And of course the Legion and other key service organisations.
Each of us has a role to play - and we need to work closely together. Last month saw the first major gathering of all these key stakeholders at the Welfare Conference co-chaired by myself and CGS at the Victory Services Club in London.
I think everybody found it a really useful opportunity to discuss all aspects of welfare support. A number of practical measures were identified, including some which are already underway.
I strongly believe we can all work better and smarter together improving in Communication, Co-operation, Co-ordination and Coherence
There is a lot of good work going on - but there is more to do. I look forward to working in close partnership. With the Legion playing a major part.
And finally. This is proving to be a busy summer for all of you. There are two big events coming up in the Veterans Calendar. The commemoration of the Falklands Campaign on 14 June and the events leading up to that day.
And of course Veterans Day itself on Wednesday 27 June. This is a time to really raise the profile of our Veterans. To celebrate their achievements and contribution to society.
Falklands 25 is being remembered all over the country. Last week I had the opportunity to attend a very moving ceremony in Southport. It really brought home the sacrifices made by our forces in that conflict and their tremendous and heroic achievement.
And it also made me realise how much we owe the men and women across the country who plan and organise all our commemorative events. Men and women like you. Making Veterans Day happen. Reaching out across the generations. Working hard to ensure that Veterans Day becomes a key event in 21st century Britain.
It is a real privilege being veterans minister but I am very conscious that I and the Government will be judged not on what we say but what real difference we make to veterans' lives, as I have said there is more to do.
For me it is not a job - more of a personal crusade. That hero - my grandfather - that I referred to at the start of my speech died in poverty and was buried in a paupers grave. That's what drives me on.
Thank you. I wish the 2007 Annual Conference every success.