 The next item of business is a debate in motion 6637, in the name of Keith Brown, on remembrance, commemorations and support for the veterans and armed forces community. I invite those members who wish to speak in the debate to please press the request to speak buttons, and I call on Keith Brown, cabinet secretary, to speak to and move the motion around 13 minutes please. I am delighted to present the Scottish Government's sixth annual update to Parliament on support for the veterans and armed forces community in Scotland. Since 2017, we have updated members annually to showcase the work that we are doing to improve support, ensure our veterans and their families face no disadvantage, and that Scotland is their destination of choice after service. I welcome the opportunity to deliver our update this year and provide the chamber with detail on the excellent work that has been undertaken. This week, we published Scottish Government support for the veterans and armed forces community 2022, which details fully the work that we have undertaken over the past 12 months. Much has changed since I presented our last update in 2021, and I am pleased that, since then, much has been achieved. As we continue to move on from the pandemic, I have seen real progress being made this year across a wide range of areas of support provided to veterans, as well as service leavers and their families. As always, this excellent work has only been made possible by working collaboratively and productively with partners in the public, private and third sectors. This time last year, I reported to the chamber that we planned to refresh our veteran strategy action plan. As you will be aware, this year we did just that, by publishing the refresh plan in the summer, which details the important services and support that the Scottish Government and our partners continue to provide. In the developments of the plan, we undertook a light-touch consultation with key partners to determine the extent to which our existing commitments remain valid, and where there were opportunities to add more detail to those commitments or, indeed, to add new commitments altogether. During that process, we identified seven new commitments. One of which was to work with the UK Government and other devolved Administrations to support the delivery of those commitments in the UK Government's 2022-24 veterans strategy action plan, which impact veterans right across the UK, such as recognising and addressing the historic heart experience by some members of the veterans community. For example, we continue to support and promote the independent LGBT review, and I was delighted to be able to discuss this with fighting with pride earlier this month. I would again like to encourage people and organisations to contribute to the review's call for evidence, which is now open until 1 December. I was also pleased to see the UK Government's commitment last year to allow veterans who were dismissed from the service on the basis of their sexuality due to the historic ban on being homosexual in the military supply to have their medals restored at no cost. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the pandemic is receding, many of its challenges remain and not least the financial stresses and strains that continue to challenge the charitable sector. I reported last year on the estimates suggesting a shortfall across the UK of £250 million in fundraising when compared to a normal year. To mitigate some of those challenges, the 2223 Scottish veterans fund was increased to £500,000 per annum. The priorities issue were projects offering support to early service leavers and promoting collaboration within and between the veterans charity sector and other non-veterans organisations. In total, 14 new projects received funding, allowing a range of initiatives to be supported, including employment support, from walking with the wounded and outdoor counselling from the Venture Trust. Support for small local projects includes funding for networks of wellbeing to create a programme of away days for veterans in and around the Huntley area to help combat social isolation and funding for First Light Trust to establish a new cafe hub for veterans and their families in Falkirk. I will say more in my closing statement about this year's important anniversary of the Falklands conflict, but connected to that, of course, is the critical issue of the mental health of our veterans and ensuring that we do everything that we can to support those most in need. Since my last update to Parliament, the Scottish Government has published the Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Action Plan, and an implementation board has been established to take forward that and also provide clear and timely access to mental health and wellbeing support for our veterans. A link to that, of course, is our commitment to continue to provide funding support to combat stress and veterans' first point in 2022-23. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Susie Hamilton as our new Scottish Veterans Commissioner. Susie is herself a veteran having served in the Royal Navy, and I very much look forward to working with her over the coming months and years and wish her the very best in the role. You will be aware that our previous commissioners produced a series of excellent reports, and we continue to prioritise the delivery of the recommendations that they made. We will continue to encourage the UK Government to do the same for those recommendations that were made by the commissioners that are relevant to the UK Government. We also look forward to the commissioners' annual progress report, and we are pleased to be able to again provide evidence and support to the commissioners' assessments. I know that Susie will now be setting her key priorities and objectives, and she will work extremely hard to support our veterans and their families. I am also delighted, of course, that this is the first women commissioner that we have, not least because of some of the very important things that we have to consider about, for example, the way that women were first treated, for example in the Royal Navy, when they first took to go on to the ships, and some of the legacy issues that we have to deal with from that time, as well as some of the many other issues that are particular to women's serving in the armed forces. Knowing how many veterans there are in Scotland and where they are and what support they might need is obviously vitally important if we are to provide the right assistance and guidance to them at the right time and in the right place. We are working very hard to put together an accurate picture, and it was great to see the veterans' question in Scotland's 2022 census. We would expect, certainly, yes. I am very grateful, Deputy Presiding Officer, that I am grateful to the soldiers to give way. With regard to the interrogation of the census, can I urge the Government to look to try and identify the children of veterans and veteran families as well? I know that it is a challenge through the census because of the questions that were asked, but again that seems to be a piece of data that was struggling to identify. How many young people are related to veterans and serving officers' families? It is an important point. In my constituency, we have one of only two schools in the UK that houses the children of veterans. I am well aware of some of the issues that they seek to deal with, which are particular challenges sometimes for children of armed forces personnel more so than veterans. I would also say if it is any reassurance to the member that, in addition to the census—which is quite limited, as he says, in terms of the questions that he asks—we have three other surveys, very good surveys, comprehensive surveys on health and other issues, the household survey that we conduct, which will also provide information about veterans and their wider families as well, which should be helpful in the area that the member has mentioned. We look forward to receiving the commissioner's annual progress report, as I say, and she will now be setting her key priorities and objectives. Knowing how many veterans there are in Scotland, as has been said, and the point that has been made, knowing how their families are impacted also by their service, is very important. We are trying to put together that accurate picture. We expect to see the first data from the question and the census itself, rather than the three surveys that I mentioned in 2024. In addition to the three Scottish Government major household surveys, as I have just mentioned, have included that same veterans question in their current sweeps. We have also worked with the UK Government on the development of the first UK-wide veterans-specific survey, which we expect to be launched within the next few days, and that might provide some further comfort to the member in the area that he is talking about, because they will help us to improve our understanding of the profile, the circumstances, the needs and feelings of veterans in Scotland, which in turn will help to inform policy and services. Most of us are aware of the challenges that veterans can face when transitioning out of the military. Often we will hear of the difficulties in finding suitable and enduring employment, or that their experience and qualifications are not adequately understood and appreciated. I think that most of us will have heard something along the lines of people that come out of the armed forces. If they get a job, say, the usual example that I have been given is a colour sergeant or a warrant officer coming out and getting a job as a truck driver should feel grateful for that when that really is not a recognition of the experience, the qualifications and the abilities that they have either accumulated or displayed when they have been armed forces personnel. The point is that our veterans deserve to get the opportunities that they can venture with their experience and their qualifications. Of course, a great deal of work has been carried out in relation to that, not least by my predecessor, Graham Day. That includes where we have addressed the Scottish credit and qualifications framework partnerships, qualifications and skills mapping tool. That went live in February 2022. In addition, the Government has provided a further £13,500 this year to support the ongoing development and expansion of that tool. Much more, the Scottish Government is committed to increasing the number of veterans it employs, and it continues to explore a number of ways to achieving this, including through the going forward into employment programme. The Government also had a stand at this year's CTP careers fair in Edinburgh, where we had the opportunity to engage directly with several armed forces personnel. Service leavers and veterans were also involved in discussions around the type of roles within the Scottish Government where to find those roles and how to apply. Since 2021, at least 34 veterans have joined the Scottish Government. I am aware, as of course we all are, that we are facing a very challenging economic situation, and the cost crisis is affecting us all. We are doing what we can to support our veterans and their families. That is why we have expanded the Scottish Veterans Fund criteria this year to encourage projects that offer support to veterans suffering from the impact of the current cost crisis. I think that today's figure is around 14.7 per cent increase in food inflation, and that presents real challenges for people. We provide, in addition to general advice, financial advice and, as I have mentioned, support in getting into employment and also getting into the right employment. However, that cost crisis also affects housing, and we are also working hard to support veterans and their families in this area. The veterans homelessness prevention pathway was published in January, and we continue to provide funding through our affordable housing supply programme to deliver homes specifically for veterans where local authorities identify that as a strategic priority. We continue to support Housing Options Scotland to provide its military matters project. I would also say that although there have been improvements across Scotland and, to some extent, across the UK, it still seems to me just a sensible thing to do for the MOD to advise everybody joining the armed forces that they are entitled to put their name down for a councillor's social housing on the day they start their service. I am not saying that they will want to necessarily access that. They obviously won't want to do necessarily during their time in the service, but when they come out, they will certainly be grateful for those areas where they accumulate points on the list for the time they have been on the list. It seems to me a straightforward thing for the MOD to do. The cost crisis, as I say, affects housing as well. We continue to support the Housing Options Scotland that I have mentioned, but it is always at this time of the year. Perhaps the most important thing in relation to veterans is our desire to remember those who have served, those who continue to serve, and all those who have been marked by conflict. I will speak more about the remembrance side of the debate in my closing remarks, but I can also announce today that a new scheme has been launched by the Scottish Government to fund the cost of lost or stolen medals of veterans resident in Scotland earned during their time in service. Many of our veterans still bear the physical and mental scars from conflicts, and their medals are an important symbolism of their courageous service. The scheme is part of a wide range of support provided to show our appreciation and on-going support for veterans and their families and where they are entitled and we will rely on MWDE to tell us where somebody has been through the process and they are entitled to have replacement medals, the Scottish Government will step in to bear that cost on behalf of that veteran. In conclusion, our veterans and their families continue to contribute a huge amount to our society right across Scotland, and I remain committed to providing the very best support for the entire veterans and armed forces community. I look forward as ever to the contributions of members and to responding to them in due course, and I move the motion in my name. I am delighted to open this debate on behalf of the Conservative party. I am the third generation of my family to have served in the forces, and I have a son who has just completed his service, making it four generations in total. When it comes to remembrance, every one of our servicemen and women will all have different views and memories of their time. They will have served in different theatres and done very different things. The one thing is for sure, all those who have served know that when push comes to shove, they can rely on their fellow servicemen and women to stand shoulder in shoulder with them, never forgetting the shared experiences and the sacrifices they have made in defence of their country's freedom. Some veterans and their families gather on Sunday will remember those who died in two world wars. Others will remember the sacrifices made in more recent conflicts in the Falklands, the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. Each person though will be united in silent tribute, pausing, acknowledging and reflecting on all that has been given to secure our future. The future that I am afraid is once again under threat. The devastation of war has returned to our continent in the form of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine. So this remembrance Sunday, I will also be paying tribute to the Ukrainians, who are not only defending their country but also fighting to protect the security, freedoms and democracy, I believe, of the free world. These are the same values that our servicemen and women are prepared to sacrifice everything to do as well. It is something that we should never forget. The oath of allegiance taken by everyone in our armed forces is unconditional. If the ultimate sacrifice has to be paid, then that is part of the deal they sign up to. That high price is not something that is always fully appreciated either. While we sleep safely in our beds at night, our servicemen and women are watching our backs. Meanwhile, their families could face the very real loss of their loved ones and knowing that their lives could never be the same again. Bearing a son or daughter, a wife or husband before their time is something that no parent or partner wishes to do. I know the support the families provide to the armed service community at home and on the front line it is invaluable. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude, one that we should never ever forget. Supporting our armed forces and veterans community is truly vital. That is why I also welcome the continued support of the Scottish Poppy Appeal and I'm delighted that I'll be helping them with their collections tomorrow in Edinburgh's Garden of Remembrance. This organisation is playing a truly crucial role in helping men and women and their families transition from military to civilian life. That change can be far from easy. There are some who fall on hard times and struggle with reaching out for support. There are others who find it difficult talking about what they have seen and what they have done and find difficult adjusting to civilian life. Passing judgement on them never helps. Their wellbeing and the welfare of all our veterans should mean much more to us than that. That's why I praise the efforts of charities such as Combat Stress and Veterans First Point, who are leading the way in providing mental health support. I also continue to commend the combined approach that is being taken by the UK Government and the three devolved Governments in implementing a joint strategy for our veterans community, which runs until 2028. I welcome the points that have been clarified and announced this afternoon by our Minister, Mr Keith Brown. By working together, I believe that we can create a thriving veterans community where ex-servicemen and women are empowered to play a key role in society long after they leave the forces. To do that, we need to recognise the skills that they bring from military service to civilian life. It is a vision that we should all work towards and all support. Before I close my speech, I want to pay tribute to some of the work that goes on overseas too. I'm always inspired by the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Their duty of care and tireless devotion to the up-grip of war graves in 23,000 locations across the world is commendable. I want to give a small example if I may. When I was serving in Uganda, I was asked to visit a war grave of three soldiers, which I did. It was an important condition. The War Graves Commission dispatched a team out to repair the graves and to make the site as it should be. That happened in an area where it wasn't particularly safe to go to, but they didn't bulk at their responsibility. I've seen when I've been around the world the immaculate condition of our war cemeteries, and that commemorates the huge sacrifice that has been given by the soldiers and sailors and airmen and women that are buried within them. We should never forget that remembrance is not just a tradition of one country. I remember being struck whilst on tour in Egypt when I visited the German Africa Corps War Memorial in El Alamein. I remember the flowers and the message that were left in the cemetery. I was naïvly surprised, as I'd never thought really about what remembrance means to other countries and the sacrifices of their soldiers. It's something we should never forget, and a lesson I learnt that day that everyone who dies in war should be remembered so we don't repeat the mistakes that have been made by our predecessors. Presiding Officer, as I close my speech, I'd like to confirm that the Scottish Government will be supporting the Scottish Government's motion today. Helping veterans is above party politics, and it is right at this time of year we all come together to support our armed services community. I personally would like to wish Keith Brown a successful visit to the Falklands. I acknowledge his service, active service on those islands. Presiding Officer, at 11 o'clock this Sunday, all of those that have served and who are currently serving will take time to pause to reflect and to remember all those that have served and who are no longer with us. We will always acknowledge their sacrifice and their early passing in the service of their country. We should never forget that they have given their role for our today. Thank you, Mr Mountain. I now call on Paul Swinney around six minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Rembrance week is a sober period of reflection for many our country, and it is important for us all to come together and show solidarity, and it is in that spirit that I was pleased to sign the Government's motion in support of what they are intending to achieve on behalf of us all for the service of those who have given so much for us all. As someone who has served in the army reserve for 12 years, I know firsthand the sacrifices that members of our armed forces make, and we do owe a great debt of gratitude to them. I am proud to wear my regimental tie today as I see the member for the Conservatives. I will, on Sunday too, when I gather with friends at the Cenotaph and George Square in Glasgow to remember our colleagues who have suffered life-changing injuries, and in my case, one of my best friends who was killed in Hellman province 10 years ago this coming April. That is a moment for us not only to reflect on a lacerating sense of pain at a life lost too soon, but to get together to have a few pints and a laugh too. For many people, particularly those who have served, remembrance day is not just about solemn remembrance, but about catching up with old friends. We often talk about how old pals are getting on, and over the last few years it has been an eye-opening experience to see the difficulties that many are going through, but which they often cannot make clear to their comrades and are reluctant to seek help. There is a culture particularly in the army of not talking about these things. It is a vocation that not many of these days can relate to, one that requires them to sacrifice spending time with family, friends and isolates them from everyday civilian life. Despite that personal sacrifice, they are often not supported properly when they return from tours of duty overseas or leave the armed forces entirely, often very angry and frustrated. These are individuals who are more susceptible to experiencing mental health difficulties, drug and alcohol related problems and, in many instances, homelessness than the rest of the population. Yet even though we know that to be the case, the support still is not there to alleviate those issues. It is a pressure that has only become more acute amongst my own generation after more than two decades of intense conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq, where over 100,000 people in our country served on operations TELIC and HERIC. The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and now the cost of living crisis are having a significant impact on many veterans who are already vulnerable and struggling. The Scottish Government must do all it can to improve the targeted support that it needs. The mental health charity combat stress has seen a much higher contact rate from veterans seeking help than in previous years. These mental health issues often lead to a reliance and a dependence on alcohol and, to a lesser extent, drugs. The forces in my trust have detailed the impact that alcohol and drug abuse can have on veterans and their families, and their research suggests that alcohol misuse is the primary substance misuse problem for veterans with many developing a reliance during their service. We know that drug misuse is also prevalent in the armed forces more generally, with data from the Ministry of Defence showing that in 2019 there were 660 army personnel dismissed from their duties after failing a drugs test, the equivalent of an entire infantry battalion. Again, we need to ask ourselves why this is happening and how we can create a system where serviced personnel don't feel the need to turn to alcohol or drugs as a coping mechanism or as a way of fitting in. We may also want to reflect on the fact that it is increasingly prevalent in wider society, and the army and the armed forces generally will reflect that. Whether we need to now keep this zero tolerance policy where we effectively destroy someone's career over it, could there be more of an intelligent way to help people rather than simply casting them out? Personnel who misuse substances under the current policy are removed from the services by disciplinary or administrative means following a single offence. It seems to me to be an unnecessarily destructive blunt instrument. Housing is another persistent problem. Positive progress has been made, but too many people still leave the armed forces and become homeless. The most recent figures show a 24% increase from 33 to 41 people registering as homeless after leaving armed forces accommodation in the year to April 2022, and Poppy Scotland has suggested that a veterans housing action group would help reduce these figures, and hopefully their recommendations will be incorporated into government policy. Labour support is establishing clear statutory targets to underpin delivery of the armed forces covenant, and we also support the implementation of all the recommendations of Poppy Scotland's manifesto, this Parliament's official charity. We want to strengthen that engagement, implement the veterans housing pathway, target provision aimed at ensuring the most vulnerable service personnel and veterans experience a good transition. Poppy Scotland's recommendations from the last election campaign remain valid, and whilst the minister of the cabinet secretary has made constructive and helpful points today, it would be helpful if the cabinet secretary could also address specifically those actions that he is taking to meet each of Poppy Scotland's recommendations in his closing speech. Particularly, commissioning and acting on an independent review of existing targeted provision aimed at ensuring the most vulnerable service personnel and veterans experience that good transition, fully exempting military compensation from financial assessments for social security benefits, and particularly how the Scottish Government and Social Security Scotland can work with the Department for Work and Pensions and the Minister of Defence to collect better data on veterans and to ensure that that is shared where appropriate in order to simplify the process for injured veterans applying for and receiving benefits under the new system. I can ensure the cabinet secretary and the Government that they will have this party's full support on any measures that will improve the lives of our servicemen and women, but, as I have highlighted, in many areas we still need to do much more as a country to help them live fulfilling civilian lives. I thank Keith Brown for his remarks and, indeed, for his service. We recognise that at this time. I also associate myself with the work of the Government in this area. I think that this is something where all parties across the chamber want it to succeed, particularly around homelessness, mental health and addiction issues, as Paul Sweeney rightly touched on. If there was one plea I could offer, it would be in relation to Martin Whitfield's earlier intervention around the children of veterans. In 2011, my party introduced a dedicated pupil premium for every child of a serving armed forces personnel, amounting to £320 per child. It has never been replicated in Scotland, but it recognises the disruption and trauma often faced by children of serving armed forces personnel. I wonder if he might reflect on that and address that in his opening remarks. I will. I thank the member for the points that he has made. He has made the point before. My answer has been that we have a different system in Scotland, but it might help him to know that we are funding the national education officer for children and young people of armed forces families and veterans around £50,000 this year to support delivery of the seller's report recommendations, including the collection on the educational expenses of service children and veterans children at the current time. I am very grateful for that intervention and its content. It is a very constructive and progressive thing to bring forward, so I am grateful to the Government for that. We owe so much to our veterans, both alive and dead. We will take time over the coming days to remember them. My mother had two great uncles, one who died and one who lived. The first I have mentioned before, I mentioned him in my first speech, was a 23-year-old private out of the first Canadian Mounted Rifles out of Saskatchewin, and he was killed along with 80% of his battalion on the very first day of the Battle of Montserral on the Ypres salient. I can never fully understand the horror of that day, because that was the first day that the German soldiers had ever used flamethrowers. They were extensively undermined. Indeed, he was never found. It's very likely he was buried, and he is commemorated on the men in gates in Belgium. His name was Alexander Bennett, and I am named for him. The second, also a Canadian, was an airman. His name was Arthur Roy Brown, and he is credited with shooting down and killing Manfred von Richtam, a hofen, a Germany's famous red baron in a dogfight over France. It was an accolade he never accepted, explaining for a remainder of his life in characteristic, I think, generosity of spirit that, while he had hit the red baron, he could never be sure that it was his shot that killed the notorious flying ace. Sure enough, historians and forensic pathologists would later go on to prove that the red baron had in fact been taken down by an Australian ground machine gun crew, but Arthur's place in history remains intact. This Remembrance Sunday, Families the World Over, will remember stories of both tragedy and heroism in equal measure. While the living memory of the two world wars has all but passed beyond us, this year there is a new poignancy to our commemorations. The armistice may have been signed 104 years ago, but each morning now we wait to images of trench warfare and mechanised slaughter again in continental Europe. Footage of dugouts, douds, shellfire and carnage are live-streamed across our social media platforms. As the old adage has it, those who do not learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it, and in addition to the horrors of the battlefields of Kharson and Donetsk or Blasts, which emulate planders in the Somme, we see a repetition of civilian suffering in Ukraine as well. The bombed-out carcasses of Mariupol and Kharkiv could just as easily be Coventry or Dresden in the 1940s for all that is left of them. However, it is not the fighting men and women of Ukraine who have failed to learn the lessons of history as their Russian aggressors. As they desperately try to roll back the Russian advance along the eastern front, Ukrainians are fighting for so much more than their national sovereignty. They represent the front line in a clash of ideals, a struggle for the soul of humanity. It is because they decided to take a stand and resist the Blitzkrieg of Putin's expansionism that they have ultimately spared others from having to. Certainly if they hadn't, Putin gangsters would not have stopped at Ukraine. This war, like those we remember on Armistice State, could well come to define our century under pins why this season of remembrance is so important for as long as men crave power and dominance over their neighbours, there will be conflict. So this weekend I'll think of my uncles, of their heroism and their sacrifice, but I'll also think of those fighting for their lives and their freedom in the towns and cities of Ukraine for our tomorrow as they are giving that today. Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes and let us pray that when this bloodshed is over, when Putin is deposed and his war machine dismantled, that across the whole of humanity we will learn the lessons of history and never allow them to happen again. Thank you very much Mr Gil Hamilton. We now move to the open debate. We are now rather tight for times I'd be grateful if members could stick to their time allocation. Firstly, Graham Day to be followed by Stephen Kerr for around four minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. There are a number of welcome traditions which exist in this parliament. One such is the annual armed forces and veterans debate held in advance of Remembering Sunday. I think this is the ninth or so set piece I've taken part in, mostly from the back benches, but for a spell from the privileged position of leading it as veterans minister. For the overwhelming part these have been constructive debates devoid of party politicking. I hope this will be the case today. The signs thus far are certainly positive in that regard. In that spirit, let me begin, Presiding Officer, by saying how good it is to see Edward Mountain taking part in the 2022 iteration of the armed forces and veterans debate. Mr Mountain was going to ill health, unable to take part last year, and both he and his contribution was missed. There is much that Edward Mountain and I disagree on, but we do share common ground when it comes to wanting the best for our current and former military personnel and their families. I know that that goes for the wider membership of this parliament. I want to focus my contribution today on some of the realities of the here and now for the current military. Last week, I had the pleasure of participating along with colleagues in the Parliament's formal engagement with the Army in Scotland held at Looker station. We were provided with an update in considerable welcome detail on basing plans for the Army there. Those include increasing personnel numbers at Looker with a relocation of three Scots—that is the Black Watch to those of us of a certain vintage—from Fort George. It will be good to see the Black Watch returning to the traditional recruiting heartland. What was less welcome was the apparent admission within the presentation of the recruitment and retention issues to this and other elements of the Army that we are facing, resulting in only 301 personnel being captured by that move. That is what has been done to one of our historic regiments by successive, the action assembly of successive UK Governments. That is so regrettable. Regrettable 2, as the recent admission by the UK Government, IA UK Government minister, rather, is that across the British military more than 2,900 serving personnel, along with 38,000 veterans, are having to rely on universal credit to top up their income. How on earth do a country that claims to value those who serve get into such a situation? I ask that question genuinely, seeking improvement, not to make a party political point. Let me recognise that, against that backdrop, there has been welcome MOD investment in infrastructure here in Scotland. The investment in the RAF footprint in the north-east is an example of that. Providing there is no further basing review or a watering down of proposals for lookers and the developments there are positive also. The plans for lookers, if delivered, will see new accommodation blocks and potentially family housing provided good stuff. But what about other military locations such as Arheim Condor in my Angus South constituency, which has long attracted commentary around the quality of the accommodation provided the Marines base there? Earlier this year there were media reports suggesting that it was to be the subject of long-over geograiring. Unfortunately, I understand that to be untrue. I am concerned and I hope that this is misplaced concern that, given the very significant budget challenges that the UK Government faces, the Treasury might look to make reductions to anticipated MOD funding despite its commitment to increase it to 3 per cent of GDP by 2030. The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunag, Welsh Chancellor, was accused of mounting it and I quote sustained corporate raid on military spending. That accusation incidentally came from then and still Secretary of State for Defence, Ben Wallace. My plea is this, and it is a plea, not a partly political point. Whatever decisions are to be made on military funding, whatever future monies are earmarked for hardware, a protected spending priority going forward must be the men and women who serve in the military, along with their families. That is the very least that they are owed. Thank you very much. I call Stephen Kerr to be followed by Ogil Nicol again up to four minutes, please. Deputy Prime Minister, may I agree with everything that Graham Day just said? His points were well made and I absolutely endorse them and would wish to be associated with them. I also pay tribute to the veterans who are members of this Parliament, specifically the Cabinet Secretary and my good friend Edward Mountain and others. All those who support veterans throughout the United Kingdom. I will limit my brief remarks to the subject of remembrance. I am not going to try to attempt anything sophisticated or clever in my speech, but I will only offer my humble reflections. The annual act of remembrance is a moment in the year that punctuates our lives, and this year's remembrance will have added poeniency given the passing of her late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth. We came to know well how much it meant to Queen Elizabeth to lead the nation in the annual act of remembrance each year at the cenotaph. We will once again be called by the two minutes of silence to reflect on the sacrifices and losses of the past. With the passing of the generations for whom world war was experienced, it becomes ever more important, ever more necessary for us to take time to consider what remembrance means to us today, what it teaches us about the present and the future. I am old enough to have had the privilege of meeting veterans of both the first and second world wars, the nature of the fighting that these men experienced is something beyond my ken. They experienced the sternest test of the most awful type to defend our nation and a set of ideals, democracy, freedom and the rule of law. It has been over a decade since the last of the first world war veterans died, so it is that we will soon, sadly, bid adieu to the second world war generation. I thank God for that generation and what they did for all of us in defeating Nazism in all its grisly ghastliness. I know that many young Scots continue to go to the battlefields of France and Flanders very often as part of organised school trips, and long may that continue. I know what the experience of Ypres, the Men and Gate, which was mentioned earlier, Tyne Cot and Tep Valle did for our children. Seeing the thousands of names of the missing young men, most of them not much older than our children, was deeply moving for them and for us. It made real the loss, it made real the horror of war, the rows of neatly laid graves and symmetrical gravestones, so honoured and cared for, as mentioned earlier by Edward Mountain by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is something also for which I give thanks. The stories of doomed youth inscribed in stone, name, rank, service number and a short personal inscription provided by a grieving family. These trips are so important. We must ensure that whatever financial constraints we are required to endure, that these trips continue. Learning these lessons is best accomplished by the incomparable experience that it is to visit them, not just to read about them in a textbook. Our young people must learn about the very full part that Scotland played, that the battle of St Valerie and Operation Cycle are not part of the NAT5 second world war curriculum. It is an anomaly that I would hope the cabinet secretary would agree with me should be corrected. We must continue to ensure that remembrance is fully inclusive of our young people. For many years, we have attended alongside the cabinet secretary the act of remembrance at the war memorial in our village, and I have been moved by the site of the pupils from the local high school and the primary school laying race alongside the scouts, the cubs, the boys brigade, the girl guides, the sea cadets, the army cadets and the air training corps. Remembrance has taken on even more meaning for our family as we have learned more about great uncles killed and it killed in action in France. It has made remembrance more personal, the sacrifice and loss more poignant. We have taken time to tell our grandchildren as they get old enough what remembrance means in their family history. I keenly sense that it is our responsibility to see that remembrance is renewed and continued, to pass on the lessons and warnings of history to teach them what it means to wear a poppy each November, to see it as a symbol of hope, renewal, sacrifice and peace. Finally, if we fail to remember, if we fail to help our children and our grandchildren remember, then the hope for a peaceful future will soon be lost as it was before. Thank you, Mr Kerr. I would, as a reminder, that we are tight for time and that we need to stick to our time allocations. To be followed by Paula Kane for up to four minutes. It hardly seems like a year since many of us attended our local remembrance Sunday events as newly elected constituency and regional MSPs to remember our armed services personnel, and who would have thought, as we entered this year's national period of remembrance, that we would be watching the unfolding illegal invasion of Ukraine. Reading the daily intelligence updates from the MOD has become part of my daily routine, the narrative and images of the devastation caused, the humanitarian effort and the absolute resolve of the Ukrainian population to win back their territory. At this time of year, the daily updates appear against the backdrop of remembrance, when we pay tribute to the ultimate sacrifice of those individuals from Scotland, the UK, the Commonwealth and Allied Nations who gave their lives in order to ensure the freedom and peace that we enjoy today. The imagery captured on social media is a far cry from the photos that I expect many of us have tucked away of family members who saw active service in conflict or peacekeeping roles across the world. Photos like the one I recently found of my uncle who endured the claustrophobic environment of a Royal Navy minesweeper during World War II, and as my son described to him, he seemed to be smiling in the face of fear. It is no surprise that he returned to civilian life, traumatised and suffering from what we now recognise as PTSD that went unrecognised and untreated for the rest of his life. Thankfully, we are in a very different place today. Many veterans leave our armed forces with a very positive experience and highly transferable skills, but many experience a more difficult return to civilian life. The work of veterans charities in Scotland, Erskine, Poppy Scotland, Veterans Scotland and many others is absolutely key to ensuring practical support and help are in the right place at the right time. I am pleased that the Scottish Government commitment to charities and other bodies continues, and I particularly welcome the establishment of the national veterans clear network to ensure parity of access to specialist services and the continued funding for combat stress, ensuring that support for veterans experience compromise mental health is continued. Over the years, the North East has seen a cohort of veterans take their skill sets into the energy sector. However, it can be difficult for them to navigate into the sector. Therefore, I welcome the revamped veterans employability strategic group that I hope will help support employment opportunities for service leavers such as those seeking to move into our growing renewables sector. I particularly welcome the commitment in the refresh strategy for our veterans to support and better understand the veteran population coming into the criminal justice system, frequently a very highly vulnerable group with enduring and complex needs. The on-going cost of living crisis is hitting those least able to afford increased energy and food bills the hardest. I am very grateful to all those working and volunteering in my constituency for their work and supporting our veteran community, providing practical and emotional support across a range of projects, initiatives and services. The support provided by the Scottish veterans fund will be absolutely crucial in ensuring that many of those local projects can continue to provide vital community support to our veterans and their families during this period of uncertainty and worry for many. To conclude at this time of remembrance, I offer my deep gratitude to all our military personnel, those who are lost in conflict, those who are still serving, and those who now return to our communities for their sacrifice, their commitment and their selflessness. I advise those who are going to participate in the debate. I will now be cutting you off at four minutes, so four minutes is not the point to say and to conclude with that. Paul O'Kane, to be followed by Stuart McMillan, up to four minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The annual act of remembrance is a powerful one. It provides a necessary opportunity to reflect on the crucial moments in our history when the guns stopped firing and peace in Europe was secured, but it is also a time to reflect on the fragility of that peace in our world, which has often been imperiled down through the centuries. Of course, in the past year, we have been served with a stark reminder of that fragility, with Russia unleashing a dreadful bloody campaign of destruction in Ukraine, and I am sure that those scenes will not be far from all of our minds as we pause to remember this coming weekend. Today, I want to take some time to pay tribute to those who support remembrance in communities across West Scotland. For over a century, the Poppy has served as a poignant symbol of remembrance for all those who have lost their lives in active service and to express hope for a lasting peace. The work done by Poppy Scotland and so many other charities makes a real impact for veterans and their families and is rightly recognised in our debate today. However, none of that work is possible without the support of those who fundraise in our towns and villages at this time of year and, indeed, throughout the year. I want to take this opportunity to pay a special tribute to my constituency, Kitty Ramsey, who received the President's Award for her Years of Fundraising for Poppy Scotland. Indeed, it was wonderful to see that presentation take place in the garden lobby here in Parliament just a few weeks ago with the presentation that was made by the Presiding Officer. For decades, Kitty has selflessly organised the sale of poppies in Port Glasgow and across Inverclyde, raising thousands of pounds for Poppy Scotland. It should be noted that the President's Award is an extremely prestigious accolade, which is bestowed on individuals for exceptional volunteering services to Poppy Scotland. I am sure that we would all agree that it is an exceptional achievement, and I am sure that Kitty is very proud to have received it. It was a real pleasure to chat to her and her husband, Ronald, with Jamie Greene, who I see in the chamber, and other members, and hear her say that she does it all for those who never came home to the States of Inverclyde from war. As has already been touched on by my colleague Paul Sweeney, we support strongly the work of Poppy Scotland on implementing the recommendations of their manifesto, which is called on the Scottish Government to mainstream the Amforces community in the policymaking process. It is probably a capture of that lived experience of armed forces, personnel, veterans and their families. I warmly welcome the contribution that the minister has made in that regard today. I want to return to another local example of those who support remembrance in West Scotland, and one that is close to my heart. As members will have heard me say before in this chamber, I have been privileged to be involved with the Neilson-Warmill Association since its inception in 2011. The association is made up of local volunteers who have given their time to build a new War Memorial in Neilston and now act as custodians of remembrance in the village. This week, the association received the sad news that one of our leading committee members, Keith Ferguson, passed away after a period of illness aged just 49. Keith worked closely with his friends in the association for over 10 years, from the initial fundraising that helped build the War Memorial to being our official photographer and even to delivering food packs, Christmas Easter treats for local children and high teas for village pensioners throughout the pandemic. He will be sorely missed and our thoughts are with his wife Helen and his children Kyla and Cami at this very sad time. Indeed, as we gather at the weekend, we will remember Keith's contribution to remembrance as well. As a nation, we should be grateful for the service of all personnel who gave their lives, but we should too be grateful for the service of volunteers like Keith and like Kitty. Their clients determine the dedicated actions that they keep the promise alive that has echoed down through the years. We will remember them. Thank you, Mr Rocain. I now call Stuart McMillan to be followed by Annie Wells up to four minutes, Mr McMillan. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased with speaking in this debate. I echo Paul Rocain's comments regarding Kitty and actually I have known Kitty for quite some time. She came to high school to do a crash course on accounts way back when the Port of High and Stevens had the first joint class many, many moons ago. I am particularly pleased to speak in this debate because one of the things that people might not always feel appreciated is the issue regarding peacekeeping missions and assisting whether the public emergency situations are such as during the recent pandemic. The role of anyone in the armed forces has varied and that is maybe a point that genuinely is not fully always acknowledged outside of parliament. I can look a number of my constituency. Traditionally, it was a recruiting area for the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. I would like to mention just one Argyll veteran, Jim Boyland, also from Port Glasgow. As ambassadors for the army go, Jim is very much up there. Since his retirement from the army many years ago, he went on to help many hundreds of young people in the community to help them achieve more out of their lives. Jim has enhanced the lives of anyone that he has met. His own personality, but also his sense of discipline and belonging from the army will have helped him to foster that skill even more so. He is a credit to himself, the Argyll Association and also to our community. I welcome the support that is provided to our armed forces personnel, including the roll-out of the Scottish Government veterans strategy action plan, but recognise that there will always be more to do. The Scottish Government will continue to target projects that provide new and innovative approaches to aiding our veterans community. That is where I would hope that dialogue on defence and military commitments between both Governments increases so that Scotland can continue to support the sector amidst UK Government funding decisions. The management and deployment of the armed forces is, after all, a reserve matter, but many of the challenges that veterans are devolved. Improved engagement can only provide better outcomes and solutions for veterans, and that surely is what everyone in this chamber wants, irrespective of political persuasion. When a service personnel returns from combat zones and years of service and retires from their roles in the armed forces, they should not then be expected to wage a battle against bureaucracy, to obtain support that they are rightfully entitled to. Engagement is therefore vital, as the UK Government outlines how defence capability will be achieved with cuts to personnel numbers and against the backdrop of funding concerns from the UK Parliament and how programmes critical to UK defence are being delivered. That call for greater dialogue also extends to Scotland's domestic defence industry, which is vital for Scottish jobs. When it meant that the MOD's 24 billion budget for the next four years was published by the UK Government, there were no discussions with the Scottish Government on how those decisions might impact Scotland. Some would argue that that is a reserve matter, so discussions need to really take place. However, the impact of any decisions clearly will have long-term effects, whatever they may be, on certain stuff. For that aspect of form of dialogue and discussion, it certainly would be helpful. Finally, this Sunday I will pay my respects in my constituency, firstly at Well Park, and then the free French memorial in Greenock. Both locations and others in the constituency saw growing numbers of members of the public pay their respects prior to the pandemic. I am sure that, on Sunday, the numbers of individuals attending those two locations, but also the other locations in my Greenock and Arquay constituency will once again be on the up, because people genuinely want to pay their respects to those who have fallen and those who have sailed out of our communities. Thank you very much, Ms Llywydd. I now call Annie Wells to be followed by Christine Grahame again up to four minutes, Ms Wells. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It's a privilege to be given the opportunity to speak in today's debate. When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow, we gave them our today. For me, these immortal words sum up the incredible service of the United Kingdom's armed forces. Today, in this chamber, we stand together to thank each one of our service personnel for their exceptional service while taking a moment to remember those who paid the ultimate price. Day in, day out, our armed forces work to keep the British public safe while supporting our allies further afield. However, throughout the past two years, their professionalism and dedication has been clear for all to see. The British Army were instrumental in the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccine, playing a key role supporting our NHS staff, thereby allowing us to jab our way to freedom. For months, more than 100 armed forces personnel would have also brought in during the pandemic to support the Scottish Ambulance Service in assisting vulnerable people and those who are facing medical emergency. More recently, let us also not forget how the Royal Regiment of Scotland played an invaluable role in assisting with events around the passing of our late Queen Elizabeth II. The images of our boys carrying the Queen's coffin up the royal mile to St George's Cathedral will stay with us forever. Just as they so faithfully serve the British people, the Scottish Government must also live up to its responsibility by supporting veterans to adjust to their daily lives back home. We want servicemen and women who choose to settle in Scotland upon leaving the armed forces to know that they and their families will be supported. With around 250,000 veterans in Scotland, we need a comprehensive strategy to support their wellbeing and provide them with opportunities to thrive. I welcome the Scottish Government's collaboration with the UK Government to secure the long-term veteran strategy that was welcomed by key stakeholders, including veteran Scotland. Focus on key themes to ensure that our veterans adapt to life back home, including employability training and financial education. It equips them with vital tools to reintegrate into our communities that they have served so faithfully. We, on those benches, would like to see Scotland's two Governments build on that collaborative approach, further strengthening the existing strategy so that we can support our soldiers. The evidence is clear that, unfortunately, many veterans experience challenges upon their return home, not least that they are at a higher risk of developing physical and mental health conditions. The Scottish Conservatives proposed an Armed Forces and Veterans Bill that would enshrine in law the armed forces covenant for devolved public bodies, including NHS Scotland, to better equip veterans with the tools and support that they need to transition to civilian life. No-one can doubt the dedication, professionalism and sacrifice of the United Kingdom's armed forces. They must be supported, indeed awarded in turn. Today in this chamber, let us with one voice thank our armed forces for their heroic efforts and commemorate the fallen, whose sacrifice will never be forgotten. I now call Christine Grahame to be followed by Katie Collack again up to four minutes, Ms Grahame. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. In my constituency, I am Glenchor's barracks, and thankfully, after years of the threat of closure hanging over it, it has been reprieved. There are the visits that I have made there since representing Penicook, being made most welcome both by service personnel and their families. I have the honour each year of representing the apartment as a local MSP at the Remembrance Service, that the memorial in Peebles, as I will do this Sunday, is always very moving. I pay tribute to Fiona Dunlop, a retired Peebles history teacher who voluntarily takes care of more than 150 wargraves and more than a dozen cemeteries across the borders, supported by the Commonwealth Wargames Commission from whom she has rightly received an award. There are the families of those serving, the parents, the partners waiting, often with children, anxious, especially if their loved ones serve in war-torn countries, holding the home together, unsure when and sadly if their loved one will return. They are the unsung heroes. I am mindful of each November 11th of the war that I just missed, World War II, when my father, with his great pal, Jock Hunter from Huyck, enrolled in the King's Own Scottish Borders, and they were to be sent to Arnhem. At the last minute, Dad failed the fitness test. He had trouble with his feet and army boots made it worse, so he was sent to Shetland instead. Jock, like Dad, was in his late twenties and was parachuted into Arnhem and he died there. Such is the randomness of war. Dad went on to live into his nineties, having five children with his beloved Margie and a marriage that lasted nigh on 60 years with numerous children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. That was the life-jock that was never to see. There are too many in the ensuing wars who lost their futures or suffered life-changing injuries. Sadly, wars continue with the illegal annexation by Russia of Crimea of Donetsk and Lohansk and the bombing of Ukrainian cities. The bravery and commitment of the Ukrainian people in and out of uniform is daunting. It will end, as all worlds generally do, but not until after the brutalities, the war crimes, the deaths, the devastation of the land, the bomb-torn landscape and the unburied. I wear the red and the white poppy. The red is remembrance, the white is the poppy of peace, because when politicians fail or when despots and dictators rule the airwaves, it is the armed services, not the politicians whose lives are put on the line. Within those Russian conscript ranks, there are young men who do not wish to spend their youth, their bullets and bombs in Ukraine. Brave Russian people speak out at risk to their own lives and we must pay tribute to and remember them as we also pay tribute to and remember the fallen and the damaged of all wars. I welcome the opportunity to take part in this timely debate to thank the cabinet secretary for coming to the chamber to report on the work that he's done and to put on record my tribute to all who have lost their lives and suffered as a result of their service. Like others, I have family members who have taken part in conflict and died. I also have family members who have campaigned against war and we always need to remember that it is politicians who send our armed forces into conflict, and often it is politicians who let them down. As a society, we often fail to meet the duty of care that we owe to veterans. When I asked veterans what issues they felt needed to be focused on in this debate, they highlighted the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had and that the cost of living crisis is having on many veterans who are struggling. They mentioned the issues of care homes and the impact that rising costs are having on veterans. In the past, as convener of the all-party group for equalities for veterans, I campaigned with veterans for those who had served in the military before 1974. Despite campaigning for many decades, veterans have still not been awarded an army pension. This issue, and others such as the need for a triple lock, are of course obviously reserved. As has been said in this debate, this Parliament has responsibility for many of the issues that impact on veterans' lives now. We have to recognise that gaps still remain in the specialist support that veterans need, whether that is for their physical or their mental health, and that support is often not available locally or structured in a way that meets veterans' needs. Many of us have personal experience of witnessing the system failing former members of the armed services, whether that is individuals that have come back from the Falklands, from the Gulf War or indeed from more recent conflicts. We recognise that positive progress has been made to address veterans' social and housing needs. I welcomed the cabinet secretary's announcement regarding the housing application process, but we know that many people still leave the armed forces and become homeless. The most recent figures show a 24 per cent increase in the number of people registering as homeless after leaving armed forces accommodation between 2021 and 2021-22. In 2020, Poppy Scotland published a research report entitled Making the Benefit System Fit for Service with the British Legion, which detailed the ways that the benefit system often fails people who are leaving service. Poppy Scotland called for the establishment of a veterans' housing action group with powers to review challenging cases to oversee the effect of implementation of the veterans' housing pathway and act on the recommendation that it makes. As a Parliament, we need to recognise that in the past we have failed our veterans. I am pleased with the way that this debate has been conducted. It is right that we honour those who have fallen, but we also have to remember that, too often, we have failed those who have come home, those who have been left behind, including families and those who have suffered life-altering injuries. I am pleased to support the Government's motion. Thank you very much, Ms Clack. I now call Jackie Dunbar, who is the final speaker in the open debate, after which we will move to closing speeches. Everybody who has been in the debate would be expected to be in the chamber. Ms Dunbar, up to four minutes, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. It is a privilege to speak in this debate and to pay respect and to commemorate all those who have given so much to preserve the freedoms that we all enjoy today. On Sunday, people will gather to remember. Some will remember family members who died in two world wars. Others will remember those who have died in numerous conflicts since. Some will wish to reflect on their own service and those who served with them. Importantly, and I agree with Poppy Scotland on this, Remembrance Sunday is also an opportunity to educate younger generations on the atrocities of the past and to ensure that history is not repeated. Last year, as a Gordon's bear, I spent my time in this debate reflecting on my own family's connections to the Gordon Highlanders. This year, I want to pay tribute to our armed forces and to highlight organisations and folk across my constituency working to support our veterans community. As a former Aberdeen City councillor, I was proud to play my part in ensuring that the council signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant for which the council now has a gold award. The Armed Forces Covenant is based on the premises that those who serve or who have served and their families deserve. Respect, support and fair treatment stipulates that the local authority will, among other commitments, offer up to 1 per cent of their 2,000 new council houses to those who leave the armed forces and adapt up to a further 0.5 per cent for those injured in service, to support the employment of veterans and work with the career transition partnership to establish a tailored employment pathways and to ensure that armed forces personnel are not disadvantaged when it comes to school places for their burns. The covenant has proven to be hugely important for Scotland's veterans and the armed forces community, and I pay tribute to all Aberdeen City Council for supporting it, and I encourage all other local authorities to take part if they have not already done so. The mental health and wellbeing of our veterans community is paramount, and I welcome that the Scottish Government has allocated over £2 million in funding to support veterans charities. I also pay tribute to Kate Dean of Aberdeen Citizens Advice Bureau, who has led the Armed Services Advice project in Aberdeen. The project provides targeted support on access to welfare, employment opportunities, debt and finances and on housing. Between November 2021 and until today in Aberdeen alone, ASAP has helped 119 veterans with yearly financial gains totaling £13,000 each year. It can really help. The case studies, which are available on CAB's website, and I encourage members to take a look, speak for themselves. The project is partly possible through the funding from the Scottish Government, and I welcome the commitment that the CAB sector made earlier and hope that the support like this will continue into the future. Throughout wars and crises, we have relied on the selflessness of our armed forces to protect our freedoms and keep us safe from harm. To do their duty, our service men and women have been deployed right across the world, wherever and whenever they have been needed. In recent years, our troops have been deployed to Afghanistan as well as to support humanitarian efforts in countries across the globe. The global contribution of our service men and women must be acknowledged. I look forward to laying our Ethan Aberdeen this Sunday on behalf of the good folk of Aberdeen Donside, and I encourage Aberdeen to get your poppies out, wear them with pride and support to our service personnel past and present. We now move to closing speeches at Colmart and Whitfield for around six minutes. It really is a pleasure to close this debate on behalf of Scottish Labour. I echo Graham Day's comments that I think this debate has shown what this Parliament does very well when we come together, when we can cross the different benches over something so important as our veterans, our current serving personnel and those families that surround them. It is true to say that Scottish Labour remains fundamental in its belief that those who have sacrificed the most for our country deserve the very best possible care, and I welcome the new Scottish Veterans Commissioner who started in August and wish her well in championing our veterans and family and look forward to receiving and seeing the reports in due course. This has been a very special debate. People have talked about very personal remembrances and experiences and also talked about wider experiences that bring us together across this chamber. Can I welcome Keith Brown's comments with regard to data and arms forces children? It would be remiss of me not to return to those children later in my speech. Can I start by thanking Edward Mountain for his comment? He reminded us that, for our armed forces across the world, when push comes to shove, they stand shoulder to shoulder with each other. It is that level of respect that we deserve for our armed forces and to our armed forces, both while they serve, sent so frequently, as many speakers have said, by politicians and, if I may add, who have perhaps failed where war ends up, that we stand shoulder to shoulder with them both during that time and after. It is right that Alex Cole-Hamilton reminded us that it is those who do not learn from history that pay the price of going over and over again, the same fact. Stephen Kerr and others mentioned that this year is obviously different in that Her Majesty passed. For many of us, one of the solid symbols of remembrance has been Her Majesty each November the 11th in remembrance Sunday standing there. Certainly, one of the solid images that perhaps predates so many of us even in this chamber today and it will be something that is missed, but I am sure that we will see in our new king a similar steadfast support at this time. Audrey Nicholl, among many others, talked about and rightly so the illegal war that is going on in Ukraine and the situation where we see today, particularly this Sunday, we will probably awake to pictures and film and reports from Ukraine and then at 11 o'clock we will go out to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Paul O'Cain reminded us of the poignant symbol that the poppy is and the work of poppy Scotland. I echo this chamber's thanks to them for all of the work and the other charities that do to help our veterans and also serving personnel. Stuart McMillan also mentioned the importance of peacekeeping because it is not always war, but actually sometimes bravely standing between two groups who would go to war that our service personnel and veterans have done so much towards. Christine Graham put a face to the work of the Commonwealth graves with Fiona Dunlop and I think the work that's done to support the graves of those that paid the ultimate sacrifice is such a silent, quiet way to show respect, as Edward Mountain said, sometimes under very challenging circumstances, but one that I know when I have taken young people from schools to Commonwealth graves always results in a moment of silence and perhaps indeed as discussion about visiting the battlefields in France does, gives a bit of real life education to put what they've heard, read, seen and sometimes even digested on social media into a reality that is more resonating than anything else. I promise to return to our young people and I want to do so just merely quickly to highlight the Scottish funding council's work along with the service children's progression alliance who launched thriving lives toolkit online platform in April 2022 this year, which is a reach out underpinned by rigorous research for schools to perhaps being better understanding and a way to reach out to our service personnel, young people about the experiences they have and also to highlight the work here obviously of forces children Scotland and the work that they did with Napier universities so that we can promote the educational opportunities that are open to our service children. In the very short time that I have I would like to make one final mention of my hometown of Preston Pansy Slothian in south Scotland, which has without doubt one of the finest wall memorials anywhere in the world, designed by the eminent sculptor William Bernie Rind which most people will probably know for the doorway to the Scottish national portrait gallery, but it was on Sunday the 30th of April 1922 just over a hundred years that an eight foot high soldier dressed in the eighth royal scots stood on top of a pedestal and looked across our high street and the community through its community council and East Lothian council have done so much to improve it and reopen it again for this November. But is the speech of Lieutenant General Sir Francis Davies that I would want to make mention to in my final seconds when he asked the locals a hundred years ago give one thought to the brave boys and recall what they did for them and their country. Those who had come through the war were not likely to forget their experience. It was not for their benefit that the monument has been erected, it was for the generations yet to come and they are the monuments that speak to us this Sunday. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Thank you very much, Mr Deputy. I call Maurice Golden for around seven minutes, please. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. Remembrance isn't just a word. It is a profound act of admiration, respect and gratitude. Keith Brown spoke about ensuring veterans and families face no disadvantage in working collaboratively with the public, private and third sector as part of the Scottish Government's veteran strategy action plan. There is undoubtedly more that we can do but progress is being made. The cabinet secretary also welcomed Susie Hamilton to our role as Scottish Veterans Commissioner and I would like to echo that welcome and a point that was made by Martin Whitfield as well. Ed Mountain shared his personal experiences and sacrifices in highlighting how veterans have contributed to that in the service to their country. He also highlighted the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which maintains graves in 23,000 locations around the world. He also paid tribute to the Ukrainians, which has a view shared across the chamber in points that were made by Audrey Nicol and Christine Graham, as well as Alex Cole-Hamilton, who highlighted the suffering and carnage that is being faced, as well as making a moving tribute to his uncles. Paul Sweeney gave us a poignant personal loss that, sadly, too many service personnel are forced to endure. My uncle served as a Padre and, as part of that role, conducted many funerals of service personnel that we are taking far, far too soon. Graham Day said that we need to do the best for current and former military personnel. Stephen Kerr's contribution highlighted the fact that armed forces are defending our democracy, freedom and rule of law. He said that remembrance is renewed and continued in order to achieve a peaceful future. We add similar tributes being made by Paul O'Kane, Stuart McMillan, Katie Clark and Jackie Dunbar. We add admiration for the men and women who risk their lives to ensure our safety and freedom, respect for their bravery and professionalism and gratitude for the sacrifices that they make on our behalf. Of course, we think of their distinguished service in conflicts, such as the Second World War or the Falklands, but our armed forces contribute beyond the battlefield, too. During the dark days of the pandemic, we saw the British Army deployed to help Scotland through the crisis. Over 200 troops, helping with the vaccine roll-out and over 100 more, drove ambulances, a point made by Annie Wells. Our armed forces play a central role in Scottish public life. It was the soldiers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland who stepped forth to carry her late Majesty's coffin as it arrived in Edinburgh and then on to St Giles Cathedral for the Vigil, their professionalism and impressive sight on news broadcasts around the world. The men and women of our armed forces give us so much, and we must make sure that those who settle in Scotland after their service are settling in a country that does not just call them heroes but treats them as such. Scotland should strive to offer them and their families the most generous support of anywhere in the UK. There are around 250,000 veterans in Scotland, and that is around 5 per cent of our population. Chances are that we will all know someone who served. If we do, we also know that veterans, sadly, often face many challenges. Homelessness is a major one. Almost 700 veterans were assessed as homeless in 2020-21, according to Scottish Government figures. That is only the high-level statistics. Dig in and the problem is much worse. We know from the homeless network Scotland that veterans affected by homelessness are likely to experience rough sleeping and that homelessness can occur many years after discharge if veterans are reluctant to seek help or due to deferred trauma. All that is before we consider how difficult it can be for service personnel who are moving around the world to buy or rent a home at the end of their career. Veterans also face significant health problems. I recently chaired a meeting of the cross-party group on armed forces and veterans community looking at that very issue. The trends in Scottish veterans health report found veterans have a 15 per cent increased risk of heart attack versus non-veterans, a 16 per cent increase in the risk of stroke and an 18 per cent increase in the risk of lung cancer. That is the physical side. The situation is even worse when we look at mental health, with veterans at a 24 per cent increased risk of being diagnosed with a major mental health issue compared with non-veterans. Those numbers are incredibly grim and they demand action, so I am pleased that the UK Government and Scottish Government jointly developed a plan, the strategy for our veterans, to address the major issues facing veterans such as health, employment, finance and debt. It is a 10-year plan running to 2028. That is important because it means that there is an opportunity to not only address immediate challenges but to develop methods for supporting a new generation of veterans. There is much more to do and this Parliament has the power to do it. That is why the Scottish Conservatives are calling for an armed forces and veterans bill to enshrine the armed forces covenant in law for public bodies such as the NHS and local authorities. We want to see a help to buy scheme specifically for veterans along with new top-up benefit for veterans. On Remembrance Day, let us give thanks to those who have served and sacrificed for us and let us make sure those who continue to serve and sacrifice are given the support and respect that they deserve. Keith Brown, to wind up and respond to the debate for around nine minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I will try to get through as much as I can. I like to refer to a number of the member's contributions although I will not have time to refer to everybody's. First of all, Edward Mountain, I thought, gave a very gracious speech and I thank him for that. I would pick out in particular his reference to the Commonwealth Graves Commission. I had a chance this year to go and visit their headquarters in France and to see what they do and to get the privileged access to where they take the remains when they are still finding remains in France and to deal with them in some of the artifacts that they find, the letters to loved ones and so on. They do an absolutely fantastic job and it is a testament to them that many other countries around the world are looking to their example to see how they can develop a similar kind of service. They will hopefully never have that volume of graves to look after in future. Paul Sweeney mentioned the Poppy Scotland manifesto. I am not going to go line by line, but I would say that a number of issues that have been raised, I have different figures from some of the ones that have been raised. For example, we talk about homelessness and there is a danger if we overemphasise the levels of homelessness, the levels of imprisonment and the levels of ill health beyond that which they actually are. So we are looking just now at around 2 per cent of all households assessed as homeless, have a household member that was formerly in the armed forces, 2 per cent. That is low in the general population and it is very important that we have an accurate picture. I would come back and I welcome back to the points that Maurice Golden made shortly in this area. I was going to say something about the fact that this part of the debate for at least my summary up is about remembering small numbers of veterans and maybe there is a lesson there. I am happy to admit the fact that maybe we should split those two things in future, maybe some people are a bit inhibited from having to go at the Government on veterans issues because it is tied in this remembrance and that should not be the case. Maurice Golden has made some trenchant comments about the Scottish Government's performance and I welcome that. I think that that is a way to improve things so maybe we should learn about that perhaps for next year. On remembrance, Edward Mountain said that he was a third generation I think or as some was a third or fourth generation. I have not in previous debates done this but speaking for once about my own family I would mention that I have a grandfather James Brown after whom I was named Keith James Brown who was called up to the backwatch in the First World War for a short time. He was only 18 and then his children, my uncle James again, served with the Royal Navy. His sister, Matt Mary served with the Army. Her brother, my father, Athel Brown did his national service in the Army. My uncle Douglas did his national service in the very difficult environment of Malta. My uncle Robert died last week. His funeral was this afternoon, which I could not attend because obviously of this debate he served nine years in the Royal Navy. I think to realise the kind of impact that service had on the previous generations is salutary but I think the point that Stephen Kerr made is very important that I often find, if you go back to 2014-18, the scheme that the Scottish Government had to allow people from every school in Scotland to attend the battlefields, I often find that young people are more affected by doing that than some older people are. It has a profound effect, especially if they studied beforehand, if they studied some of the graves, if they see some of the people that have died being about 17 years old, the same age as them. I have to be perfectly honest whether we will keep the remembrance at the level. I am not criticising any member. This is not the best attended chamber. We don't have any people in the gallery. The debate started eight minutes late. I think that we have all got a job in hand to make sure that we do remember. I agree with Stephen Kerr on the need to remember. Graham Day made some important points about universal credit. It just can't be right that we expect Armed Forces personnel to be on universal credit, especially in the numbers that he described. Annie Wells spoke it, and I would disagree with a number of the points that she made about the way that we look after veterans in this country. Just to remember, veterans are not funded. We don't get funding for any veterans activity that we do. We were the first in the UK to have a veterans commissioner, first to have a veterans fund. We have done many things that have been first, which were then being copied by other parts of the UK. We are, of course, subject to challenging criticism, I accept that, but I think that we do a very good job, albeit that we can continue to improve. Just to hear, it might have been Katie Clark who said about pre-1974 that many people didn't even get a pension. For those who have served, after 1974 I have never had a pension, that thing is not being resolved. Some of the work of the veterans organisation at UK level on pensions and compensation is absolutely atrocious, and that has to be improved. There is much that we would agree on. At this time of year, it is important that we reflect on the importance of remembrance as well as highlighting some of the key events that have taken place this year. We remember the sacrifices that have been made by the arms community, not because we want to seek to glorify war, as Christine Grahame said, but to instead recognise the hardships that have endured and the courage displayed in the face of adversity. Whilst we reflect on the impact of war in Scotland, we have to remember the suffering of families at home, facing the uncertainty of the future and unsure of what will become of their loved ones serving overseas. The remembrance period also plays a vital role in raising awareness of past conflicts, as we have mentioned, among those who were too young perhaps to remember them. It is interesting—I am just going to mention the Falcon Dance—that the Falcon Dance conflict is no further away from us today than the Second World War was when we served in the Falkans. It is extraordinary to think that. However, this was the 40th anniversary of the war. I would be delighted to be able to attend various events to pay tribute to the bravery and commitment of those involved, and in June it was pleased that the Government's working in partnership with Legion Scotland and Puppy Scotland was able to deliver a national event in Edinburgh commemorating the anniversary of the conflict and had the opportunity to lay a wreath and deliver a reading in St Andrew's Square, which Jackson Carlaw also attended that day, as I recall. That event provided an opportunity for reflection and to remember all those who lost their lives in the conflict. Those events highlight the strong cultural inculso between Scotland and the Falkans dance community. A number of members attended events in the Parliament, where that was highlighted as well. I am honoured to have been invited to the Falkan Islands by the Government to visit later this week and participate in a series of commemorative events. That will provide an opportunity to pay tribute to the heroism of those courageous men and women who made up the task force, set sail to free the islands, and here the veterans of the Falkans as well as members of the armed forces are currently serving there. I am very much looking forward to that. However, as has been mentioned by a number of members, many of our veterans still bear the physical and mental scars from conflict, and it is important that we remain committed to supporting the battles that they are still facing. In July this year, I went to the McRae's battalion trust at the Contol Mais on Cairn in northern France to mark the anniversary of the first day of the battle of the Somme and to lay a wreath on behalf of the people of Scotland. Many of them lost their lives that day. In fact, I remember standing beside the memorial that is there and thinking back to sitting there in 2015. I think that it was supposed to be 2016. That was 2016, the 100th anniversary, and I am seeing coach load against coach load of Scottish children coming past and stopping to visit. It has almost become recognised as a Scottish memorial now, and that is just so important for the reasons that we have mentioned. We also did that alongside the mayor of Contol Mais on representatives of the French military, and it was a valuable opportunity to pay tribute to those who lost their lives or were otherwise impacted by the war. Particularly heartened at the bravery of those Scots who fought alongside the French over the centuries, will now be forever memorialised by a commemorative plac at Les Invalides—I am probably pronouncing that wrong—one of France's most important sites for military history. Rememberance is a time for reflection. There should always be time within that to reflect on the experiences of underrepresented groups in the armed forces community. I mentioned earlier on how the privilege of meeting with, fighting with pride, a charity supporting LGBT plus veterans, service personnel in our families and work with veterans supporting organisations. It is important that, in remembering the bravery and commitment of those who have served and lost their lives in conflict, we acknowledge the additional struggles that some veterans faced. The work of fighting with pride in the whole charitable sector in providing valuable support to veterans and their families throughout Scotland is crucial to the armed forces community. The way they were treated was absolutely appalling and recompense has to be given to those who suffered, were thrown out, were investigated and sometimes were imprisoned because of their sexuality when they left the armed forces. I thank everyone who supports those charities in whatever way they can. The remembrance period service, as we have heard, is a vital purpose. There is a remarkable degree of unanimity and consensus in the chamber on that issue. It allows everyone in Scotland a moment to pause, as it will do during events in the course of this week. To be thankful to those who served, Edward Mountain mentioned at the very start the fact that that contract, probably not understood by many people and not in the armed forces, you sign up to put your life on the line. I hope that that will not happen, but there is always a possibility that it will. I recognise that it earns Edward Mountain service as well. If that is the contract that they signed up to, surely the contract that we signed up to is to make sure that they are looked after when they have finished their service. Are they remembered if, in fact, they die in service? Just finally to say, this is all not to glorify war and the motion makes that clear, but to recognise the sacrifice made to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today.