 The next item of business is a debate on motion 1, 4, 0, 9, 4, in the name of Clare Haughey, on Scottish Government support for veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland. May I ask those who wish to speak in the debate, to press a request to speak buttons, and I call on Clare Haughey to speak to and move the motion, 13 minutes, please, minister. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I want to thank you for the opportunity to set out to Parliament the action the Scottish Government has taken over the last year to support veterans. This update will focus on the steps that we have taken to implement the recommendations of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner's report, Veterans Health and Well-being, a distinctive Scottish approach that was published in April. This is the second annual update to Parliament on the work that we are taking forward to support veterans and to recognise their unique contribution to Scotland. I was honoured this morning to meet some of those veterans when I visited Erskine care home facility in Bishopton, and I saw first hand a number of fantastic projects, including the advanced nurse practitioner service and the dementia nurse service. The organisation is one of many across Scotland doing excellent work to support veterans and their families. I am encouraged to see so many organisations that are here today, and we want to continue to work closely with the third sector to improve the lives of veterans. The First Minister outlined in the programme for government earlier this month her commitment to ensuring that there is no disadvantage to members of the armed forces and veterans community when accessing services and support. Scotland led the way in being the first country in the UK to appoint a veterans commissioner four years ago. Eric Fraser CBE was appointed to promote veterans interests and make sure that the policies that we as a Government have in place are providing ex-servicemen and women with the best possible support and opportunities. Eric Fraser stepped down at the end of August, having made a significant impact on many aspects of the lives of armed forces and veterans. I thank him for all that he has achieved during his time as commissioner and wish him all the best for the future. I am very pleased to welcome Charlie Wallace as the new Scottish veterans commissioner. I and my ministerial colleagues look forward to working with Charlie to build on Eric's many achievements. Eric Fraser's report into veterans health and wellbeing recognises the strong track record in Scotland of ensuring that veterans are given the best possible treatment, care and support. It also sets out 18 recommendations for strengthening and enhancing Scotland's report support approach to providing healthcare and support for veterans. The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring the healthcare needs of serving personnel and veterans are better understood and supported within the NHS. We value the skills and experience that veterans bring to their communities. It is because of that that we have accepted all the recommendations in the commissioner's report. Let me now set out the action that we have taken so far to implement those recommendations and the work that we will take forward over the next year to continue this. First, the commissioner's report highlights that the current way in which healthcare is provided for veterans is outdated. Our current policy states that all veterans should receive priority treatment for health problems that they experience as a direct result of service to their country unless another patient needs to demand higher clinical priority. The commissioner calls for greater focus on the principles of excellence, accessibility and sustainable treatment for all veterans. That is in line with our ambition of providing safe, effective and person-centred healthcare for everyone in Scotland. We will be working with stakeholders to develop what the commissioner calls the distinctive Scottish approach, which ensures that veterans' health sits at the heart of current and future models of service provision in Scotland. Central to this forward—central to this, taking this forward, will be the joint group on armed forces and veterans' healthcare. This group is chaired by the director general of health and social care and includes representatives from the serving community and veterans organisations, Scottish Government officials and other stakeholders. The report recommends that the membership and remit of the group is refreshed to provide strategic leadership to deliver this distinctive Scottish approach to veterans' health. We agree with that recommendation. The Scottish Government is working with Veterans Scotland to refresh the group, and this will ensure that the right structure is in place to take forward the recommendations of the commissioner's report, as well as providing leadership to develop our wider healthcare for veterans policy. The model being considered will consist of a smaller operational delivery group that will deliver actions that are agreed by the joint group, and a new structure will be in place by the end of the year. The commissioner also highlights that the integration of health and social care has changed the way that healthcare is provided in Scotland. We need to ensure that veterans' healthcare is still provided to a very high standard through this new approach, and we will be working with the integrated joint boards to ensure that veterans' health needs are considered in delivering of services. The main way in which veterans are supported in health services through NHS champions are officials who have volunteered to support armed forces personnel, veterans and their families in their area to make sure that they get access to high-quality services and treatment when they need it. We are working with veterans Scotland and the joint group to strengthen the network of champions and to raise awareness of the support that they provide. Will the minister take an intervention? Yes, I will. Stuart Stevenson I was fortunate to be sitting beside one of the champions earlier this week and to hear in particular the work that is being done to support those who have PTSD, who have mental health issues. Would she like to congratulate all who are involved in the champions network and indeed in this year where 100 years have passed since the armistice in 1918, the radical change in how we support veterans after combat? I thank Mr Stevenson for his intervention and I absolutely echo his words. I think that the champions that we have do a fantastic job and I want to personally thank them for what they do. The change in mental health services and mental health provision is something that I have spoken about many times in the chamber and I am really proud of the change that has been in terms of how we treat our veterans and how we treat them when they are suffering from mental illness. For example, earlier this year, updated information was issued to NHS veterans champions, NHS chief executives and primary care leads to distribute within their health boards. That included guidance on how veterans can share their full medical record with their GP. We are also building links between NHS and local authority armed forces champions to reflect health and social care integration. My officials have also worked with Veterans Scotland to update information on the NHS-informed website for veterans about how they can access healthcare. That was followed by an awareness raising campaign in June to coincide with Armed Forces Day. NHS-informed is evaluating the veterans' content on their website to ensure that the information provided is as helpful as possible in providing online support. The commissioner also recommended setting up a managed clinical network to oversee the delivery of veterans healthcare. The Scottish Government asked NHS national services division to look into setting up such a network as a potential longer-term solution to ensuring equitable and sustainable health services for veterans. However, I should be clear that the Scottish Government does not drive that process. That process is managed by NHS national services division and I am pleased to announce that the consideration of a proposal to establish a network has moved to stage 2 of the NSD planning process. That means that a full application and a detailed work plan will now be developed. A range of stakeholders and interested parties will be involved in developing that proposal. The commissioner's report highlights the importance of being able to identify veterans to understand their health needs, including health inequalities and issues such as drug misuse. We recognise that. We are refreshing our drug strategy, Road to Recovery, which will be published later this year. The new strategy will recognise the need for a range of services supporting different people with different needs. In spring next year, a new drug and alcohol information system will be introduced. The new system will gather data on people engaging in drug and alcohol treatment services. It will mean that, for the first time, accurate data will be available on the nature and scale of drug misuse among veterans. The new system will provide a single record for individuals as they move through treatment and recovery services, and that will provide valuable data on veterans and allow support and services to be tailored accordingly. I welcome the focus on the mental health of veterans and their families in the commissioner's report. It rightly highlights a number of positives, and we should be proud of those. The report recognises significantly improved support for those suffering mental health after time spent in the armed forces. It recognises that, in recent years, veterans have been able to access a number of specialist and mainstream services, with Scotland being in the vanguard in many ways. It also recognises that the vast majority of those leaving the military do so without severe mental health problems and cope well with the transition to civilian life. The clarity in the report on the importance of mental health and wellbeing is in line with the guiding ambition in our mental health strategy that we must prevent and treat mental health problems with the same commitment, passion and drive as we do physical health problems. While there is much to be proud of, I agree with the commissioner that there is no room for complacency and further improvements can be made. However, I am confident that many of the key themes and 40 actions in the Scottish Government's 10-year mental health strategy will impact positively on veterans and their families. I made a statement on Tuesday to Parliament setting out progress in delivering the strategy action since its launch in March last year. A detailed progress report has also been published on the Scottish Government's website, and I am confident that, as we fully implement the strategy, that will lead to improvements in many areas. To support improvements, I expect that, in 2017-18, for the first time that the NHS investment in mental health will have exceeded £1 billion, and our commitment to good mental health was clearly set out in the programme for government. We will introduce a comprehensive package of measures to improve mental health services for children, young people and adults, and ensure that support for good mental health is embedded across our public services. We will invest an additional £250 million in the period 2022-23 to support that, and we will work across all levels of government, public services, third sector and communities to deliver that. That will help to drive improvement across the whole system, including for veterans and their families. I also acknowledged the commissioner's call to protect specialist mental health services, and he mentioned services provided by combat stress and veterans first point. The Scottish Government funding available to support veterans mental health through those organisations will total over £5.8 million over the next three years, and that funding will help to support veterans first point services across six areas in Scotland to provide a one-stop shop for veterans and their families, no matter their health, social, housing, employment or other needs. It will also fund specialist mental health services and intensive treatment programmes provided by combat stress for veterans resident in Scotland. As members know, I recently launched the Scottish Government's suicide prevention action plan, Every Life Matters. I am clear that no death by suicide should be regarded as either acceptable or inevitable. More needs to be done to help people who are contemplating suicide, including veterans, and to ensure that the right support is in place for those who have lost loved ones to suicide. I hope that that demonstrates our commitment to improving mental health services for veterans, and I look forward to considering what further help and support we can offer. I would like to recognise the fact that our veterans leave service with a range of skills that can be transferred to other careers, not least our NHS. A number of veterans have moved from the armed forces into careers within the health service, and we want to do more to support veterans who wish to do that. NHS Scotland is exploring ways to promote career opportunities for veterans, and that includes through case studies and information on the NHS Scotland careers website and through existing training and development opportunities. In closing, I thank Eric Fraser again for his important work in highlighting not only the excellent services that are already in place, but how we can continue to ensure equitable and high-quality services for our veterans. We have much to be proud of, but his report highlights areas where renewed focus is needed. We have accepted the recommendations that are set out in the report, and now need to respond appropriately to the challenges that are raised. I have demonstrated how the Government has started to implement those recommendations through the beginning of the process of setting up a managed clinical network, sharing information about the support that is available to veterans within the NHS, and improving the structure of the joint group. Over the next year, we will work to fully implement the distinctively Scottish approach to healthcare for veterans. We as a society owe a debt of gratitude to our veterans, and we must ensure that that is recognised through high-quality services to meet their needs. Minister, I cannot remember you moving the motion. I move the motion in my name. I now call Maurice Corry to speak to and move amendment 14094.2 for around eight minutes. I declare my interests first as an armed forces veteran, and I would like to say first of all that I would like to welcome Graham Day in his new role, and I wish him well as the new minister for veterans in the Scottish Government. I would also like to pay tribute to Keith Brown for all the work that he has done over the past few years for our armed forces veterans in Scotland, and I thank him for that. I also thank Eric Fraser for his work as a former Scottish veterans minister. In respect to the debate, the Scottish Conservatives shall be supporting the Scottish Government's motion at decision time today, and I hope that the Scottish Government will support my amendment, which I so move now to their motion. Veterans must be supported in every possible way, and I hope that the debate will raise awareness of how that has and can be done. I begin by welcoming serving members of the armed forces, veterans, and, indeed, serving members who are in the gallery for this debate today. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I begin with his vast military experience. I welcome Charlie Wallace to his new post as a Scottish Veterans Commissioner, and I am sure that Mr Wallace will champion the abilities of Scotland's veterans and will ensure that they are supported. Our first commissioner, Eric Fraser, has made an enormous effort in highlighting the voice of our armed forces community. I would like to thank him for his detailed research, and he has shown both the ways in which veterans can be supported and encouraged with more opportunities within their communities. I shall focus in this debate on the veterans' mental health support, an area that is vital to understand and improve upon, especially as veterans transition back into civilian life. We must be careful to remember that many veterans return to their families and communities without the weight of mental health issues. We should never assume that they are automatically suffering or in need, but nor should we assume that those who face these problems should be left to take care of themselves or make themselves known. Scotland's veterans can experience a multitude of issues upon their return from actress service, PTSD, anxiety and depression to name but a few. The mental health state often seems to be a factor that either causes or is influenced by these problems. Isolation is something that we must emphasise here. A survey that was undertaken last year found that our third of ex-service personnel felt lonely or isolated from others due to physical or mental health issues. Some veterans struggle to communicate with friends or family upon their return. Their difficulties easily seep into other aspects of their lives, such as finding suitable employment and housing. We cannot forget that the armed forces community, their families and loved ones, can also face social isolation and mental health issues, particularly if they are bereaved. At a recent event that I attended and sponsored entitled Not Just a Wife, I was reminded of that fact. Eric Fraser's informative health and wellbeing report has also shown that the older generation of veterans are at a greater risk of loneliness, which they can understandably find very challenging. I have already raised the issue of suicidal thoughts among early service leavers and female veterans, ensuring that their wellbeing should be of the utmost importance to the Scottish Government. Public misconceptions such as about the abilities and skills of veterans also pose potential problems for them. Eric Fraser raised the need to encourage society and to value the vast range of skills that veterans have to offer. I hope that the Scottish Government will open up more opportunities for ex-service personnel to contribute to their communities, free from the illimited expectations and stigma of others. It is so encouraging to see the support that is already on offer from the variety of mental health charities in Scotland. An amazing 320 armed forces charity exists in our country. Of those, almost 50 provide health and wellbeing services alone. Combat stress continually ensure that treatment programmes offer the best care for their veterans. Those who are part in a long-term programme with combat stress are considerably less likely to be affected by mental health issues such as anxiety, depression and PTSD. Veteran's pastitipants also experience less issues of alcoholism and social involvement. Veterans breakfast clubs are another excellent avenue of support, which are both cost effective and encourage veterans to meet each other in a relaxed environment at the beginning of the day. Poppy Scotland and Legion Scotland collaborate with groups such as SAMH to act as a referral pathway to those with mental health challenges and working through veterans gateway and befriending services. On the whole, it is reassuring to witness the marked process of support on offer to the armed forces community throughout Scotland. Veterans are treated with more respect and care than they would have once received, but we need to do more in Scotland in this sector. I welcome the funding that has been allocated thus far by the Scottish Government and what has been said by the minister in her statement already. Veterans organisations have been supported through the Scottish Veterans Fund in various projects across the country. The UK Government has also worked closely with the Samaritans to publish a guide on mental health issues among servicemen and women. I hope that those endeavours will increase awareness of the support that is available to our veterans and their loved ones. However, the Scottish Government cannot become complacent when it concerns the mental wellbeing of Scotland's veterans. Mental health support must be given higher priority than it has done in the past. Indeed, there was no mention, sadly, of support for the armed forces community in the Government's recent mental health strategy progress report. The mental health service centre in Lucas has been closed, despite the fact that there is an increasing number—yes, clear off. I thank Mr Corry for taking my intervention, just to assure him that, obviously, the Scottish Government do view veterans health with a high priority. I mentioned veterans in my statement that I made earlier on this week. That means that the standard of care is nowhere near what it should be for our servicemen and women at present, and there is a stark gap in provision that must be addressed. If the resources of NHS Scotland and the Ministry of Defence could be collaboratively pulled together, that might allow the drop-in centres to reach their optimum level of mental health support. I suggest to the Minister that the Vale of Eden hospital will be an ideal centre for that, particularly with a large number of military personnel in the Helensbury Lomond area in West Dunbartonshire, including the Clyde Basin. The Scottish Government must encourage deeper research into the mental health issues that are faced by veterans, not limited to PTSD, as we know that they are affected differently from the general population. I hope that plans will be made with a long-term view to ensure that the current service users are consistently helped as they grow older. Veterans first point is one instance in which the Scottish Government must devote more time and effort. Its regional drop-in centres offer not only mental health services but support in education, housing and welfare, among other areas. Specialist veteran therapists and clinical psychologists are on hand to tailor advice based on the specific needs of individuals under their care. The Scottish Government must work more closely with regional health boards to ensure that this lifeline of service can be underpinned and allowed to continue with greater clarity of its goal. Effective governmental support for the mental wellbeing of our veterans can only be worthwhile. The Government will accept its amendment, but would he recognise the substantial sums of money that the Scottish Government has put into the veterans first point system already at the best part of £1 million? I accept that, but I also think that we need to more focus the health boards. We are now in this new era of integrated joint health boards, of which I must declare this. I was chairman of one in Argym but I understand the problems. There is still a learning curve there, so I would implore the minister and the health minister to look at that and make sure that they understand what is required from veterans of their services. I think that there is a little bit of ignorance there, not from your part but from the part of the health boards themselves. In conclusion, the effect of governmental support for wellbeing for our veterans can only be worthwhile. If that can be secured with better communication and stability, for example through the health boards, then our other areas of their lives, such as housing and employment, can be made that much easier. Veteran support can be made more efficient through stronger partnership, and a solid foundation of mental health support will encourage Scotland's veterans to move forward, I can assure you. Mark Griffin is open for the Labour Party. Similar to Mr Corry, I should also declare an interest as an armed forces veteran. I welcome the new minister for veterans and armed forces formally to his post. In line with Mr Corry, I thank Keith Brown for the hard work and the clear passion that he brought to the subject of veterans and armed forces. It has not been higher on a Government's agenda in the history of this Parliament. I think that that is testament to the work of Mr Brown. I thank you from those benches. I very much welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate on the subject of armed forces veterans, the work of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner, and to talk about some of the vital support services and charities that operate in Scotland and throughout the UK. I would like to acknowledge from the outset the debt of gratitude that Scotland owes to those who have served in the defence of freedom and put on record the continued support that we on this side of the chamber give to our armed forces personnel and veterans in Scotland. We are committed to continuing to work on a cross-party basis to ensure that our veterans and their families receive the support that they need and deserve. In particular, we recognise that our service personnel often need help with the transition to civilian life, particularly in finding housing and employment. We recognise that those who leave the service can bear physical and psychological scars for many years after their service ends. I think that being a member of the armed forces, particularly during times of conflict, is immensely stressful beyond anything that we could imagine. However, that stressful situation creates a level of commitment and an intense bond among service personnel that is unique to our armed forces. I could only listen and try to take it on board and comprehend. When I heard from a soldier who had served in Afghanistan what it was like to come under fire and what the impact was on their battalion or regiment when it lost a member of its own who was as close as any member of their family. I can only imagine how isolated someone must feel if their discharge from the armed forces into society alone with no family support. Having had such a close bond with the comrades that they fought with and possibly lost in combat, going from living in such close quarters with people that they considered family, eating, sleeping, working and socialising with the same close group, to then being discharged into a community of strangers who tend not to understand military life and the bond between people that it creates. The majority of service men and women make an overwhelmingly successful transition into civilian life. The veterans that we have in Scotland are not a problem, they are an absolute asset to communities. As the minister said, veterans have transferable skills that they may not realise they have, which then become assets to companies and communities. For the reasons that I mentioned earlier, it really is not hard to see why some veterans struggle to adapt and reintegrate, which can put a massive strain on family life, as well as on those without family. It is vital that the advice and support services are in place for former service personnel to adjust to living in mainstream society. We must support plans to co-ordinate and deliver support and advice services from the public, private and voluntary sectors for ex-service personnel, their partners and their children. There are too many fantastic organisations providing support and advice to ex-service personnel and their families to mention and do justice to them all, but I wanted to mention some of them. We have to continue to support those organisations that do tremendous work in the community for former service personnel across Scotland, including the Royal British Legion. The Legion provides practical care, advice and support to Anforci's personnel, ex-service men and women of all ages and their families, along with Poppy Scotland, runs a Poppy appeal annually. Recent appeals have emphasised the increasing need to help the men and women who are serving today, as well as ex-service people and their dependents. The Legion also assists any service man or woman to pursue their entitlement to a ward disablement pension. Every year, up to 200 ex-service personnel in Scotland are represented at ward pensions tribunals. Just across the road from Kier, we have the Scottish Veterans Residence, which provides residential accommodation to more than 300 ex-service people and their partners, and has helped thousands of veterans throughout Scotland since it was established. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association forces help, whose Lanarkshire branch covers my region of Central Scotland offer financial, practical and much needed emotional support to current and previous members of the Anforci's and their families through services such as the forces line, a support service independent of the chain of command, in which seven members of the Anforci's can go to in confidence that they will receive the support and advice that they need. It also runs a forces additional needs disability support group and organises children's holidays run by volunteers that offer experiences and activities that some of the children would not normally have access to. Erskine, as well, was mentioned by the minister, is a leading provider of care for veterans in the country and provides fantastic services within the community. There are things that individual members of the Scottish Parliament can do to assist and forces veterans and their families. The support and some of those fantastic charities and the work of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner is just the start of the work that we can support. I will close as I opened by acknowledging the debt of gratitude that Scotland owes to those who have served in our Anforci's and defensive freedom. We will support the Government's motion and Conservative amendment and, as always, we are more than happy to work on a cross-party basis to support veterans in Scotland. Thank you very much and we move now to Mike Rumbles, who is going to open for the Liberal Democrats. Thank you Presiding Officer. About one in 20 adults in Scotland have served in our Anforci's and, while the vast majority of them go on to lead normal lives, I want to emphasise that the vast majority of them live perfectly normal lives, a significant number don't. I speak as a next serviceman myself, having served some 15 years in the army, both at home and abroad. Like myself, the vast majority of service, ex-service personnel living in Scotland today have benefited greatly from their time in uniform. In last year's veterans debate on 16 November, I criticised the Scottish Government's decision not to fully fund the first-point veterans services in NHS Grampian, and we have heard about NHS First Point. I am astonished that we don't realise that it's not everywhere. Instead, the Scottish Government insisted that 50 per cent of the funding for the service had to be the responsibility of our underfunded health boards. Grampian couldn't do this and the service folded. Maybe our new ministers are not aware of that. Of course. The new ministers are very much aware of the situation at NHS Grampian. It was disappointing that NHS Grampian didn't accept the Scottish Government's offer of match funding, as the majority of health boards did. However, I want to pick up on this point about NHS Grampian being underfunded. NHS Grampian's resource budget has increased by almost 20 per cent in real terms since 2010, and in cash terms by 57.8 per cent since 2006. Yes, it was a decision for NHS Grampian to make, but I don't think that he can point the Scottish Government for that, Mr Rumbles. Mike Rumbles? I am thankful for that intervention, because maybe I can give a bit more information to the minister, because he is completely unaware of the situation with the Grampian health board. Maybe that is why they have pulled the service from the Grampian health board. Does he understand that £165 million was pulled from NHS Grampian's funding by the Scottish Government, because the Scottish Government's own funding formula has done this over the past nine years? I was not going to raise the issue of funding in going there, but the minister has raised it, and I am going to pursue it, because we cannot allow this misinformation to go across. If NHS Grampian was funded in proportion of its population, that would be one thing. It is still 10 per cent under that, even with the Scottish Government's own targets, but the Scottish Government has failed for the past nine years to reach its own target. That is why the Grampian health board could not afford to spend this money. It is the SNP's fault on this occasion. I am not trying to make this part as I am, but the minister seems to be. I am responding and certainly changing the tone of this debate. I cannot understand the Scottish Government's position here. The truth is that the Scottish Government has been short-sighted in its refusal to fully fund the veterans' first-point centres. If it did, we would have that across the country, and people in my area would greatly benefit from this service. Do not turn a blind eye to our ex-service personnel in the north-east. As much as it is programmed for mental health services, there are other issues about suicide prevention strategy being somewhat slow. People who have risked their lives for this country and given years of service in the armed forces must be safe in their knowledge that they will return home to well-resourced services, both for mental health and physical health. As long as the Scottish Government is cutting funding to those lifeline services, any statements of support that I have heard today treat me with some scepticism. I am representing the people here that I am representing, and it is about time that the Scottish Government listened to voices like my own and stopped patting themselves on the back for a service right across the country that does not exist in Grampian. I am thankful for the many great organisations such as Age Scotland, particularly Age Scotland, who have stepped into the breach, but that is only for the over-60s, not less than that in Grampian. Age Scotland, Poppy Scotland and Help for Heroes have stepped into the breach in Grampian and are doing work that the Scottish Government, in my view, has a civic responsibility and a moral obligation to carry out. It is not uncommon for some service personnel to have left the armed forces many years ago and still be struggling to adjust to civil life. This summer, we also learned that both the Scottish and UK Governments have either failed to log or have not provided figures for, for one reason or another, the number of veterans who have committed or attempted to commit suicide in Scotland. I would make the case that we need to know the information, both from the Scottish Government and the UK Government. I am not trying to criticise them here. I am trying to ask them to do some work here. If members wish to make an intervention, could I ask them to get on their feet, press their button and ask for a request? Otherwise, please keep your comments to yourself, Mr Rumbles. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. At the end of 2017, the UK-wide charity Combat Stress, working with veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions, reported a 143% rise in referrals over the past 10 years. Some veterans, especially those who have served in the armed forces for only a short period of time, are at a significantly increased risk of self-harm, according to researchers at the University of Glasgow. For example, the risk of self-harm to veterans with a brief service currently averages 30 per cent above the norm. A recent report also shows that veterans are more prone to homelessness than non-veterans and are 10 per cent more likely to become homeless in Scotland than in England. I would like to know why we need more work in this area. Some of our veterans in need have fewer transferable skills, limited family and social networks, higher than average debt, increased levels of isolation, more chance of homelessness and so on. I welcome the work that our charities are doing to provide support for veterans in Scotland. Without them, the situation may have been much worse. I also welcome the fact that the Scottish Government provides a measure of funding to most of our health boards who can afford to put in 50 per cent of much funding. I make no excuses. I am representing here the people of Grampian who feel underrepresented and not represented for many of their north-east MSPs whose voices could be raised in the same way that I am raising them now. I really want the Scottish Government to turn around here. I believe that there is a moral duty on the Scottish Government to fund our health boards properly so that they can all help our veterans—that needs help—or that our veterans have all done their duty. I want the Scottish Government to do its duty for all our veterans. I move on to the open part of the debate. We start with Keith Brown to be followed by Brian Whittle. Our armed forces are an essential and vital part of our communities. They contribute vastly to Scotland's economy. They also add to and enrich our society with their wealth of knowledge, skills and experience. We all recognise the dedication, professionalism and the sacrifice of our armed forces. Our recent conflicts and the on-going fight against terrorism have demonstrated the magnitude of the enormous debt of gratitude that has been spoken of by a number of members, which we owe to our armed forces, to our veterans and their families. That recognition, I think, is important to say, is in itself important to the wellbeing of our veterans. For example, the First World War commemorations have included the drum-herd service marking the start of the war, the Quintinso rail disaster, Scotland's entry to the Gallipoli campaign, the battle of Luce, the battle of Jutland—that was both in South Queensferry in Orkney—the commemorations and the battle of Arras centenary. Commemoration events will continue to be supported until we mark a century since the end of the First World War, which will be through a service to mark the centenary of the sinking of the HMY ILR on 1 January 2019. We appreciate the sacrifice that has been made to turn a political phrase on its head by the few for the many. That is why I welcome the steps that have been taken by the Scottish Government to recognise the sacrifice and to support our armed forces and services and to try to help them to make a transition to civilian life. I do so on the basis that the Scottish Government, in fact none of the devolved administrations receive any dedicated resources from the Treasury to carry out those activities. They are all done at the discretion of the devolved administrations. Despite the demand that we have heard today for specific veteran-centred services, I think that it is nothing short of stomach-churning hypocrisy and mendacity for those who want to use the ending of UK Government funding for services in Scotland as an experience to attack the Scottish Government. I know that many veterans feel the same way as well. The Scottish Government's 2012 commitment report outlines the extensive work that carried out to support veterans and their families and informed the subsequent development of a widespread network of armed forces and veterans champions. It also committed more than £10 million to organisations supporting veterans on housing, healthcare, employability and other needs. Mike Rumbles Does the member understand that first point services are a health service and the health service is fully devolved to the Scottish Parliament and the Scottish Government? It is our responsibility. I do understand that. Unfortunately, the member does not understand that the initiative that she talks of was funded by LIBOR funding for a defined period by the UK Government, which then ended. The Scottish Government has picked up the range of that and continued to provide those services. However, stomach-churning hypocrisy and mendacity from some people trying to use that as a stick to beat the Scottish Government with rather than properly representing the interests of veterans. The renewer commitments document was published in 2016 and reflected on Scotland's achievements so far and set out some future priorities. I am very proud that the Scottish Government was the first to appoint the UK's first veterans commissioner, Eric Fraser, who has been mentioned, who recently retired. I would also like to add my voice to thank him for his work. As Maurice Corry mentioned, he is succeeded by Charlie Wallace, who is equally dedicated to promoting the interests of former members of the armed forces. Conservable progress has been made, including the fact that the Scottish Veterans Fund has, since its creation in 2008, committed more than £1.3 million to more than 140 projects and organisations that support veterans across Scotland and the development of a programme of work that will identify and tackle any barriers experienced by service leavers when seeking civilian employment. That employment really should be not just employment, but employment can ensure it with the skills, the experience and the abilities that they have developed whilst they have been in the armed forces. I know, for example, of a colour sergeant who came out and was grateful to get a job as a truck driver, but whose experience and abilities really demanded so much more. We also have helped to build stronger working relationships between the Scottish Government, the veterans community and private sector employers, also promoting clear signposting for service delivery through the Veterans Assist website, and also ensuring that long-term clinical needs are much better understood and supported within the NHS and improved transition pathways for those who are leaving the services. We have also taken steps to make it easier for armed forces personnel and veterans to rent and own a home. It is still the case today that most serving armed forces personnel do not understand that they are perfectly entitled to put their name down now for a council house and start to accrue points during their service, and why do they not know that? Why is MOD not telling them of those rights that they have? Over the summer, we witnessed what I think was the ridiculous spectacle of the UK Government's defence secretary trying to claim to be some kind of champion of the armed forces. Most people that I talked to have seen this as merely some political game planning. They did this by announcing payments to armed forces personnel earning over £33,000 per annum, which faced modest income tax increases under the Scottish Government's scheme, which saw 70 per cent of Scottish taxpayers pay less tax. That was despite the UK Government champion of armed forces and veterans sharing 2,000 millitrain civilian jobs in Scotland since 2012, suspending the F31 frigate contracts for the Clyde shipyards, a portrayal that spuits thousands of essential skilled jobs at risk. Armed forces terms and conditions—don't forget that the public sector pay cap still applies by the UK Government, but those living in Scotland also benefit from a wide range of services that are not available elsewhere in the UK—free school meals, prescriptions, eye tests, tuition fees and living costs support and higher education. If it was the case that the UK Government were two champions of the armed forces, it would no doubt ensure that Scottish based in England, Wales and Northern Ireland would look forward to the MOD coming forward to compensate them for the fact that they do not have access to free school meals, prescriptions, eye tests and the rest. The truth is that successive UK Governments have hammered the armed forces in Scotland, including the systematic dismantling of proud Scottish regiments, rooted in local communities, such as the one that I represent. They have undertaken a base closure programme that will drastically reduce MOD spending in Scotland, although there is an argument—I can see that there is an argument—if I tend to take an intervention, Presiding Officer. I think that we are veering off the subject here. We should be talking about veterans and not having a political speech from the member. Mr Brown is close enough to the topic. I made the point earlier in my speech that the way that we treat armed forces has a fundamental impact on the wellbeing of our veterans. If you are going to give somebody a P45 as they are serving in the front line of Afghanistan, that veterans will be affected by that subsequently. That is the link between the way that armed forces are treated and the wellbeing of our veterans. Earlier this year, an FOI request that MOD revealed that 220 staff in Scotland earn below the real living wage of £8.75, yet no UK Government action in relation to that. I am very proud. I make no apology for the fact that the Scottish Government has led from the front so that, as a society, we do right by our armed forces and thereby also by our veterans. No one should suffer disadvantage as a result of military service, whether that is active service personnel, veterans or spouses or their partners or children. Scotland has to continue to offer the excellent support for veterans that has been developed by this Parliament over recent years. I support the motion. Presiding Officer, I am delighted to take part in today's debate. It seems particularly apt to be discussing support for veterans and the wider armed forces community in Scotland right now. In not much more than six weeks, we will unite across this country and across the continent to mark 100 years since Armistice's Day, the end of hostilities on the western front in the First World War. However, today I do not want to talk about the end of war. I want to talk about what happens after the end. I want to talk about what happens when those who have served their country bravely with honour and distinction take off their uniform for the last time and return to civilian life. The need for veterans to have support after their service is nothing new. Going back to the First World War, men leaving the unit received a medical examination and an army form said 22, allowing them to claim for any disability arising from their service. That support for veterans was far from perfect, of course, but it shows that, as a country, we have long recognised the need to support those who put themselves in harm's way for their country. Today, Scotland has much to be proud of when it comes to supporting veterans. However, that does not mean that there is not more that we can do, whether that is building on existing good practices or exploring completely new avenues. South Scotland, in particular, is fortunate when it comes to support for the armed forces community. Ayrshire is home to around 37,000 people who have served or are still serving and their families. It is also home to some outstanding examples of support for veterans. Short drive from Ayr is Holybush House. It is one of combat stresses three UK residential treatment centres and the only one in Scotland. Holybush provides residential accommodation and support to veterans dealing with mental health issues, offering them a safe and private place to take time and recuperate. In Kilmarnock, the Poppy Scotland Ayrshire Welfare Centre is one of only two centres in Scotland that allows visitors to access support from a number of organisations under one roof. Built with funding from the McRobert Trust and Libor Fines, the centre plays host to organisations including the Regular Forces Employment Association, Veterans First Point Ayrshire, the Defence Medical Welfare Service and Combat Stress. Here, someone can come in and receive help and support finding employment, securing housing, dealing with mental or physical health problems and a wide range of other issues. Would you agree with me that the Scottish Government has a responsibility to ensure that that sort of service, which is available to your constituencies, is also available to mine? Brian Whittle I thank the member for that intervention and I understand his concern and he has exercised this in the chamber already. I would just like to say that I would like to see all those kind of support services available to all our veterans across Scotland. Just as many different specialisms within our armed forces work together as the United Force, we must ensure that the many organisations offering help to veterans work together to deliver the best possible support. One of the best examples of partnership working among forces charities and others to deliver wraparound support is Unforgotten Forces. Unforgotten Forces is a project that brings together 15 organisations to improve support for veterans over 65 and their families in Scotland. Led by Poppy Scotland, members of the project include Action on Hearing loss, Age Scotland, Erskine, the Scottish Older People's Assembly, Legion Scotland, SSAFA and the University of the West of Scotland. A key feature of the Unforgotten Forces is the ease of referral between member organisations. One group is like contacting them all. This kind of seamless working between groups makes life easier for veterans, taking some of the stress out of looking for help and allowing support organisations to deliver a better service more quickly. Unforgotten Forces is a great example of organisations working together to build a community with a shared sense of purpose. Talk to anyone who has ever served in the Unforgotten Forces and they will tell you how strong that sense of belonging to a community is. Creating that same sense of community for someone when they leave the Unforgotten Forces is a vital component in helping them adjust to civilian life. Communities come in many forms from making new friends among veterans to finding colleagues in employment. Even something as simple as connecting with people who share a love of playing sport or supporting a football team can help to tackle that sense of isolation and loss that comes to those who leave the Unforgotten Forces. Now, unlike some of the members speaking today, I have never served in the Unforgotten Forces, but I have some sort of understanding of being defined as one thing, one day, and losing it the next. As a professional athlete, you spend most of your time working with a small team. You train together, you travel together, you live together and you compete together. Your entire world is defined by what you do as an athlete until one day you reach the end of your career and realise that you have to be something else now. That change can come suddenly. I did not plan to retire from athletics when I did when I was preparing to go to the Olympics. I happened to break my ankle. It has left me unable to train or compete at that critical time. It is hard to explain what it feels like when a job that has so utterly dominated your life comes to such an abrupt halt. I am not suggesting by any manner of means that a career as an athlete is comparable to a career in the armed forces or that they both, to one degree or another, take you away from everyday life and put you in that smaller and very focused community. A knowledge of that change and having the opportunity to prepare for it can make a big difference in how it impacts you. I am still, to be honest, most comfortable in the company of my old athletics colleagues, if you realise that I retired over 20 years ago. The final thing that I would like to highlight today is the importance of early intervention. The support available to veterans and the armed forces community is broad, from employability to health to housing to supporting the family's service personnel. Throughout Scotland, there are great examples of partial working and thinking that are helping to transform the lives of veterans and the wider armed forces community. The question that we should be asking is, can we do something earlier? If a veteran needs help, do they know where to go and will they feel comfortable getting in touch? Should they be coming to the services or should the services be going to them? Not every veteran will need help when they leave the armed forces, but from the moment they decide that it is time to leave, we should know that help is there if it is needed. Sun Tzu said that every battle is won or lost before it is ever fought. The same can be said for protecting the health of our veterans, especially their mental health. Through early intervention and building strong partnerships between organisations, we give ourselves the best chance to help veterans at the earliest possible stage. That can make a difference in treatment and recovery. I welcome the Scottish Government's continuing commitment to the armed forces community. As I said earlier, Scotland has much to be proud of when it comes to the way that it treats its veterans. However, there is still more that we can do, and I look forward to working with members across the chamber on that issue in the future. I am very grateful for the opportunity to voice my support for the armed forces and the veteran community in today's debate. Like others, I want to express my thanks to Eric Fraser, Scotland's first veterans commissioner, the first in the UK, I believe, and I wish his successor, Charlie Wallace, well in his endeavours in galvanising a Team Scotland approach to ensuring all spheres of government and, indeed, civic Scotland, play their part in providing the best possible support and opportunities to our armed forces, our veterans and, indeed, their families. From my engagement with veterans, I often sense that they are acutely conscious of the stigma associated with labels, particularly for those who experience mental health issues. The motion sets the right tone of focus, rightly, on those who need support and for those who make the ultimate sacrifice, but also recognises that veterans have talents and skills that we very much want to tap into. I noticed a few minutes ago that my constituents, Mr and Mrs Elliott, are in the gallery today and they are great assets, not just to the veterans community, but also to the wider Livingston community. Of course, we absolutely want Scotland to be the destination of choice when our men and women return to civilian life. Now, this year marks the— Edward Mountain. Thank you very much for giving way. It's not surely just veterans that we should be welcoming to their families as well, many who bring the transferable skills that we could use up here. Will you join me in welcoming the families when they return with their veterans to live in Scotland? Angela Constance. I, indeed. When I was an education secretary, I worked very hard to work with various organisations to tap into the talents of veterans and their families, particularly those who could help out in our classrooms. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Scottish War Blinded Centre in Lindburn, in my constituency. I was pleased that the veterans minister had an early opportunity to visit this wonderful national resource. He will no doubt recall that the Scottish War Blinded has doubled its membership in the past five years and will support any veteran with sight loss, no matter the cause. As I stated in the recent parliamentary debate on suicide prevention, the Scottish War Blinded provides a life-enhancing, and at times, a life-saving service due to the work that it does to reduce social isolation. That was an issue that Maurice Corry also raised. I was genuinely shocked by the high levels of social isolation in the ex-service community. A survey by Poppy Scotland and the Royal British Legion found that 70 per cent of respondents thought that loneliness and isolation was a serious issue. Research done by the Scottish War Blinded found that nearly two-thirds of respondents said that their sight loss had directly contributed to feelings of loneliness. The top three reasons have been problems with mobility, transport and vision impairment, making it very hard to make friends. The great thing about the Scottish War Blinded is that it wants to do more to help more veterans access, very specialist equipment and support, and it is not even asking Government or anyone else for that matter for more money to do so. However, what they need is better earlier signposting of veterans to the charity through health services and also when people are going through the process to obtain the certificate of vision impairment. That is something that I have written to ministers about. I hope that that is something that they can help with. I recognise the logic of the Count them in campaign, recognising that there is a need to know who is a veteran and where they are and that that is important information if we are going to provide the right services at the right time and at the right place. That is particularly true in relation to health and wellbeing. On that point, it would be very remis of me not to mention my constituent, Mr Williamson, from East Calder, who is campaigning for free swimming for veterans locally. We have been on a wee bit of a correspondence merry-go-round and the Scottish Veterans Fund, although it can be accessed to support physical and mental wellbeing. It cannot be used to cover the costs of existing services. I do, however, appreciate the advice of the Minister and Veterans Scotland who point to partnership working to identify a suitable organisation or project. The search for a solution to access free swimming continues. Perhaps, in future considerations, ministers might be able to think about how funding can be more flexible and criteria can be more adaptable. As others have also reflected, Presiding Officer, this year is the centenary of the end of the First World War. There has also been a rich seam of local activity in the area that I represent. The West Lothian Museum Service has a fantastic historic Twitter feed at www.westlothian, which follows the regiments of the now royal Scots and has been tweeting their experiences as if it was in real time. There are various other local projects run by volunteers such as the 1914-18 Fault House Remembers. There is also a website called Far From the Front, which tells the story of life in West Calder during the Great War. Next month, there will be a play in the West Kirkham Calder telling the story of West Lothian and Bangor hospital during the war. Bangor hospital was requisitioned by the military in 1915 and housed over 3,000 wounded servicemen by 1918. My final point is that I want to end by paying tribute to the members of the Livingston branch of the Royal British Legion. They do a fantastic and poignant festival of remembrance. They recently embarked on a tour of remembrance in France and Belgium on behalf of the people of Livingston paying their respects and commemorating the last 100 days of the Great War. However, the very last point that I want to make is that, as we approach Remembrance Day, we should also acknowledge the importance of what we do every day, not just on Remembrance Day, to support our veterans, the armed forces and indeed their families. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. I call Alex Rowley to be followed by Gordon MacDonald. Presiding Officer, I am pleased to speak in this debate today on support for veterans and armed forces community in Scotland. As others have said, I would want an outset to acknowledge some of the good work that is taking place in Scotland. I believe that good progress has been made through the Scottish Government, local government and the many services and veterans organisations working together. The document issued by the Scottish Veterans Minister just this week has demonstrated much of that good work. Our veterans and armed forces community serve and have served our country with honour, courage and commitment, and it is right that we take note of this here today and offer the respect and gratitude of this Parliament for the services that they have undertaken. It is also right that we remember those who lost their lives serving our country. It should be obvious that veterans and their families are given the support required when it is needed. However, that is not always the case and particularly for those who have been involved in recent conflicts. It is easy to switch off to the reality of conflict when that conflict is taking place thousands of miles away and poses no immediate threat to you or your family. However, the realities of recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan saw 632 British soldiers killed and tens of thousands injured. However, even those statistics cannot allow me to begin to imagine the horrific experience of being in armed conflict. That is why in Scotland we all have a duty to all those who have served in our armed forces and particularly those who have served in recent conflicts and now need our support. Combat stress, the UK-wide charity, working with veterans with PTSD and other mental health conditions have seen a 143 per cent rise in referrals over the past 10 years. It is not right that many veterans who have served their country are left behind on return with a number of them ending up homeless or jobless or lacking the support that they need. Those are the people who have put their lives on the line doing a job that they were sent to do. Surely they deserve better treatment when they return. Two months ago, I raised a motion in the Parliament on the issue of veterans' suicide figures. That motion was not about political pointscoring, but about addressing the real concerns that a number of UK veterans who take their own lives—the number of UK veterans—is not being accounted for and is being overlooked. The data is not made available to the public. Sharing that information would allow for a better understanding of what is going on and would provide a vital resource to prevent further tragedies. That is the view supported by the human rights lawyer, Amar Anwar and the former head of the Royal Navy Admiral Lord West, as well as the Mental Health Foundation in Scotland. Earlier this week, we had the ministerial statement updating the chamber on the annual report of the Government's mental health strategy. However, information on the numbers of former service personnel who have taken their own lives was not available, and I reiterate again here today why that is the case. I thank Alex Rowley for taking my intervention. Can I offer him a little bit of reassurance that the suicide prevention action plan, one of the actions in that, is that we will investigate every death by suicide, so that I would anticipate that that would identify if that person who had died was a veteran. That information, at that point in time, would be available. Alex Rowley. If that was able to achieve that, that would certainly be a step in the right direction. Indeed, I wrote to the minister for parliamentary business and veterans on 19 July this year to ask what has been done to address the issue. He responded, stating that the Scottish Government is exploring how to share data between databases to address that problem. That was back in August, and it may be that he is able to say more about that today. I would like to end by quoting from a lady I met a number of years ago, Rose Gentile, a leading campaigner whose 19-year-old son Gordon of the Royal Highland fusiliers was killed by a roadside bomb in Basra in Iraq 2004. Rose Gentile told the Scotsman newspaper earlier this year that it is wrong that information on veteran suicides has kept hidden. They should have veteran there beside the list of occupations to let people understand what is happening. The situation for boys leaving the service now is just as bad as it ever was. Basically, it all gets back to what they have seen, and then they have to come back and live with it, the nightmares, and at the same time trying to get their lives going again, a lot end up homeless and struggling. They are really just depressed and feel like life is not living. She says that it can take 10 or 15 years or more for them to admit to what is happening to them, but we are going to see more of it in the future. She concludes that it is charities that are mostly helping these boys, not Government. I accept the points that Keith Brown made about the need for the UK Government to be more involved and we should unite in putting the pressure on the UK Government to show the same initiative that we have seen in Scotland. I have sadly met many families who have lost loved ones in the most recent armed conflicts, and they all speak of the need for better support and services for those who came home. Good progress is being made, but more must be done to ensure that the support is available for veterans when that support is needed. Thank you. I call Gordon MacDonald, to be followed by James Dorn and Mr MacDonald, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Dreadcorn and Redford Infantry and Cavalry barracks are located in my constituency of Edinburgh Pentlands, and the army personnel, both serving and retired, and their families are an integral and valued part of the community. The report recognises that there is a significant number of men and women in our communities who struggle with service-related injuries and conditions. It also points out that, since the introduction of veteran services were established, specialist physical and mental health services in Scotland has had a significant impact over subsequent years and has rightly attracted considerable attention and praise. I am very pleased that this Government is building on that with the recently announced increased investment in mental health services from the additional £5.8 million funding over the next three years to first point and combat stress to help to provide specialist mental health support for veterans to a further 800 mental health professionals being recruited over the next five years in key areas such as GP practices and accident emergency, driving improvements in the service that will benefit veterans and their families. It is clear that the Scottish Government's support for the armed forces community is absolute. The veteran's first point in Lothian was the original project that was established during 2009 and is now part of a network of eight centres across Scotland. What gives the project the strength and support that it has, I believe, is no small part down to the fact that it was designed in collaboration with veterans, veterans who were seeking a mental health and wellbeing service that understood them as well as meeting their needs in a clinical matter for wider support and advice. It is 10 years since the Scottish Veterans Fund was established by the Scottish Government supported by Standard Life and has provided over £1.3 million of funding to charities and organisations supporting over 150 projects. The Scottish Veterans Fund goes a long way in supporting initiatives to improve employment opportunities and help veterans' transition after serving, not least in my constituency and across Edinburgh. The funding awards made earlier this year is supporting some of the sterling organisations and projects for veterans across the Lothians. Support in Mind Scotland is one of those organisations that has been awarded £29,000 from the Scottish Veterans Funds to develop the Veterans Community Cafe at the Stafford Centre over the next two years. With the help of the SVF funding over the past year, the cafe has been able to open weekly on Wednesday evenings at the Stafford Centre. Veterans and their families are welcome for hot drinks, hot food and a chat, as well as Tai Chi and meditation, if they wish. The community focus on wellbeing is also at the core of the Lothians Veterans Centre, which is another organisation that is benefiting from SVF funding. It has been going since 2009 with an aim, first and foremost, to create a welcoming and friendly environment, providing personal-centred support for ex-service personnel and their families from across Edinburgh and the Lothians. The charity provides important information, advice and support on health, employment, training and housing—the areas in which we know that veterans require the most assistance. I thank the Scottish Government for its funding. Of course, we know that funding from four veterans charities comes from a wide range of funders and individuals. I want to take a moment to mention Tom Gilzean, who was recently promoted as within touching distance of Hittig's £1 million target of collecting for a range of charities. Tom is a well-known face in Edinburgh. He is a veteran and has been collecting funds for his favourite charities for 22 years, mainly around the Princess Street area. One of the organisations that has benefited from his years of collecting donations from the public is the Edinburgh Personnel Recovery Centre. It provides residential accommodation for 12 personnel and 15 day attendees within the grounds of the Erskine Edinburgh home. The Edinburgh Personnel Recovery Centre is managed entirely by army personnel who are responsible for the welfare and recovery of their resident soldiers. One issue that I would like to touch on that affects many veterans is homelessness. We are all aware that homelessness has a huge impact on people's health and wellbeing. I greatly appreciate the Scottish Government's determination on this issue. It is a commitment to providing funding to Scottish veteran residencies to deliver affordable rental homes not only for former armed forces members and their families but also for those in need of temporary accommodation. In addition, funding is being provided by the Scottish Government to the Scottish Veterans Garden City project and to provide priority access to veterans who wish to own their own home and require assistance through the low-cost initiative for first-time buyers. However, I have one concern that I want to highlight. The Public Accounts Committee earlier this year found that, at a time of housing crisis across the UK, the MOD had 10,000 empty service family homes. That is 20 per cent of the total lying empty. The committee also found that the number of empty homes across the UK had remained unchanged in 21 years. In Scotland, there are 1,000 empty MLD homes, and in Edinburgh, there are 169 lying empty. Many of them are in my constituency. Wouldn't it be helpful to homeless veterans, especially those who feel isolated, if the MOD allowed them to be housed on a temporary basis in those empty homes before they were moved on to a permanent tenancy of their own? Supporting our serving personnel and their families is a commitment that we all share, and that must not end when they stop serving. I must have been prescient there. James Dornan, to be followed by Tom Mason. During the summer recess, I was invited to attend the military tattoo at Edinburgh Castle. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend, but I have had the privilege of witnessing this spectacular before. As I was invited in my then role as convener of education skills by the low-land armed forces and cadets by Colonel Gibson as part of the year of young people, I sent a member of my staff, as I was interested in all the good work being carried out by and for young people across Scotland. You may be thinking that this debate is in support of those who have retired from their military career and not about those just learning the ropes, but it is not every day that I take part in the military debate in this chamber, and I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all the volunteers who work with cadets to provide them with a positive destination and tools for life. Of course, many of the volunteers are vets or servicemen and women themselves. It is a perfect opportunity to acknowledge the wonderful work being done and highlight the importance of veterans in the general society. The armed forces are a complex and varied organisation when men and women join up, be it our mayor, force or navy. A variety of roles can be quite staggering. Within each of those organisations, there is a complex network of roles from cooks to engineers, military police to medics. Those skills are not just vital to the defence of the country but are the foundations to a transferable skillset that can only benefit Scotland when it is retiring from service, using them within our economy and public service industries. That is why I whole heartedly welcome this debate and how Scotland welcomes and provides for those who serve the country. I have been aware for some time of the plight of servicemen and women who suffer from homelessness, as my colleague Gordon MacDonald has just talked about, after leaving the armed forces. I have worked closely with a number of veterans when they were based in Cathcart old parish church in my constituency. I remember Keith Brown when he was the minister for veterans being at that place. I heard from myself the toll that forces life and leaving that life can have an individual trying to reintegrate into mainstream society. Research shows that I ex-armed forces personnel are more likely to be homeless than the rest of the population, with mental health problems and life-changing issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder being contributing factors. Having been a board member of a housing association whilst a councillor and knowing how helpful they generally tried to be, I decided that what I would do was write to every housing association across my home city of Glasgow to ask what provisions they are making for Scotland's veterans community. The responses, while varied, were very encouraging. If any member for Glasgow or for their fuel thinks it might be helpful for me to share some of those responses to use this information in their own constituency, please just contact my office as they are available. I wish I had time to share every response, but, as I said, they are available for any member or, indeed, veteran who wishes to see them. There are some housing associations who have no definitive policies when it comes to the housing and support of veterans, but they have promised now a policy review, and I was encouraged to hear that. There were others who have more proactive procedures in place such as the Linkhousing Association, who recognised the challenges faced by people leaving or being discharged from the armed forces, said that they will be guided by the recommendations in the Scottish Government's Scottish Housing Allocation and will ensure that when assessing applications from ex-service personnel will give consideration to ex-service personnel who require adapted housings as a result of their injury or disability, not impose residents their local connection criteria, which may disadvantage ex-service personnel from fair and equal access to housing, and be mindful of and supportive to the needs of ex-service personnel, wives, widowers and civil partners whose spouse is killed in action or dies before discharge date. However, the response from Glasgow Housing Association was, by far, the most encouraging of all. After responding to my letter and then discussing how we could move that forward with the chief executive of Wheatley Group, Martin Armstrong, the GHA has now set aside 10 homes per year for the specific purpose of being available for armed forces personnel. In an interview in evening times, Mr Armstrong said, we have always given as much support as we can to help veterans to settle back into civilian life, including with their housing. However, we thought that the idea to support people coming out of the armed forces by setting aside a guaranteed number of homes, suggested that Mr Dornan was a good one. We are delighted to earmark 10 homes a year to help. I would like to thank Mr Armstrong for not only listening to my request to help but for setting out a standard of support for our veterans, which I hope will be replicated across this country as far as each and every housing association is able. I do appreciate that the GHA is a particularly large organisation and that not everybody else could do some of the things that they are able to do because of that size. If we want to encourage retire armed forces personnel to make Scotland our home, then it is imperative that they have the very basic right of roof over their head. Speaking to a nurse who is herself a retired service woman, she gave us an insight into how difficult it is to re-engage on Sylvie Street. Captain Catherine Phillip works on a voluntary role with veterans now and has a personal hand in supporting many former military personnel. She told us that most vets when they leave their armed forces work as nurses, join a police work in prisons. She continued to say that vets feel a need to care and give back. We would stop at the scene of an accident and give help because that is how we were trained. We will try things that we have never tried before because our training tells us that that is how we will learn. The words of Captain Phillip or Kathy as she insisted when being called are why this motion is so important and why we must continue to do our best for those who have served in our defence forces and who then can use those skills for the betterment of society. The old veterans asked very little of us in return for their service and want to contribute in a meaningful way to the fabric of Scotland, but it is not just for their benefit, it benefits society, too. Captain Phillip says to us, if he wants a job done well, then employ a veteran. I think that they are very wise words, but I would like to finish off with just recognising that this is the centenary of the end of the world war 1. Those of you who are just a wee bit older than me, probably it is only you here, Stuart. We will remember the words of Lloyd George who said that we are returning to a home fit for heroes. Let us house those heroes, use their skills and begin to pay them back for what they have given us. Thank you very much. I call Tom Mason to be followed by Stuart Stevenson and Mr Seamson will be the last speaker in the open debate. Mr Mason, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer. I am pleased to be able to speak in this debate and to pay tribute to those who have put their lives online in the service of our country. I recognise, like many across the chamber, that we are the best woman in the world. We will have, from time to time, we need to send our service personnel to fight on our behalf. In such circumstances we have an absolute obligation to look after them and their families to the highest possible standard. Now, as a much younger man back in 1958, indeed during the formative years of the national health service, I saw the problems caused by a backlog of second world war veterans who had not been properly cared for. I had been stupid enough to play around with explosives at the expense of my left hand. In a twisted irony, this was a few months after I had been accepted to RAF Cranwell to train as a fighter pilot. Presiding Officer, given my subsequent track record of accident, it probably saved the public a lot of money. During my recovery period at Rohamdon hospital, I wish as the multitude of veterans from the second world war who had still not received their artificial limbs. I bussed in and out on a daily basis to attend non-existent appointments, often repeating the process day in and day out, starting in the early hours and returning unseen, disappointed and late. It was frankly degrading. Shocked and astounded by the situation of the young teenager, it led me to my very first political action, organising a wheelchair protest across Rohamdon lane in London. Eventually, we made the evening papers. A junior minister was dispatched to quell the riot. In the end, things got a little better, and we now have our health service that provides better service. Fortunately, the care that we provide to veterans has improved significantly in the period since. I have been very pleased that, instead of simply focusing on physical injuries, we have looked to help with mental health, life skills and living arrangements. However, I do not believe that we can honestly say that it is job done or end of story. Mental health is particularly still a real issue. My colleague Maurice Corry spoke arguably on both the challenges that service personnel face and the perceptions that we as a society have around the care of our veterans. We must be careful to treat those people as valued and valuable members of society that they are. In my region of the north-east, we have made some fantastic organisations such as Aberdeenshire Salute project, supporting them linking up to ex-services. This is a project that tries to provide all ex-service veterans, including family members, with a single point of contact for support throughout the local area. Such ventures can be vital for our veteran community, as many can be unaware of the support that they can get or have someone who can travel accessing it. With that idea in mind, I must urge caution. It is great that we have a third sector of organisations willing and able to take on those tasks. We are well served by more than 300 veteran challenges across Scotland. However, I feel that the public sector can do better. In the north-east, we were extremely disappointed to see our local veteran first point centre in Aberdeen closed last year, after a funding shortfall. Of all the things that we can seemingly find money for, that would seem to be an obvious choice. I urge ministers to look into this again in the run-up to the upcoming budget. Of course, the other problem with this debate is around housing. Too often, we do not see our ex-service personnel struggling to find somewhere to live. We see it on our streets in nearly every city, and it should shame us. We have had us at a Scottish and UK-level initiative that is designed to help veterans to find a home, but we are not yet at a point where this is being effectively communicated to those in need. I believe that everything that we can do in this respect should go a long way. I firmly believe that there are those who put themselves forward to defend not just our country but our ideals and values that it represents deserve the very best support that we have to offer. However, I recognise that a lot is being done, but we can do better. That is what we should resolve and cooperate to give back to our veterans and their families for the great service that they have done for us. I declare that I am a northern area committee member of the Highland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, and I am very happy to support reservists—many of whom, of course, are former servicemen. I note James Dornan's reference to the cadets, who play a very valuable role often again through the leadership of former service personnel in contributing to young people right across Scotland and the UK. The Highland RFCA is covering about a quarter of the landmass of the United Kingdom, extending north from the fourth Clyde valley to encompass the whole of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, I had the privilege to meet the defence medical welfare service that Brian Whittle referred to, a fantastic organisation that, since 1943, has given support to more than 1 million patients and their families. I was greatly impressed by the work that has been done by that organisation and by many others. It was a privilege to hear many of the stories on Tuesday. The backdrop to that is well illustrated, when, in May 1915, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae wrote the poem In Flanders Fields, after witnessing the death of a friend the day before, we are the dead. Short days ago, we lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, lived and were loved, and now lie in Flanders Fields. That illustrates the experience of service personnel, and it should be no surprise that that experience can lead to needs after they have served in the forces that we address today and have to address for a long time. That poem has echoed down the ages, the 100-plus years since it was written, is the inspiration for why we wear the little red poppy on Armistice day. Of course, as I referred to in my intervention on the minister, we approach the 100-year anniversary of the armistice, not the end of the conflict but the armistice, and we should celebrate that. We have seen many memorial services and preparations to honour those who fought in that great conflict and the great sacrifices that they made. I have been fortunate in my life to have travelled to many corners of the world, and in many of them one sees the imperial war graves that there are. When I was in Burma some 40 years ago, the only thing that seemed to work effectively in Burma was the graveyard outside Rangoon, where every blade of grass was within a millimetre of its neighbour, where the book of remembrance was absolutely pristine and the memorial there was excellent. Nothing else in that country worked properly, so it was great to see that dedication. In my constituency a week ago, we saw the community come together for the rededication of memorial marking the commencement of the war. Bands, played, prayers were given, scriptures and poems recited, including the poem that I have just quoted. The Lord Llyftenant of Bamshire Clare Russell said that dedication will in no way glorify war or mark any kind of celebration of what was one of the darkest moments in the history of mankind. Rather, it is an occasion for people to remember and to work for peace. That was a truly intergenerational tribute, as members of the Royal British Legion stood alongside uniform youth organisations. That happened right across Scotland, indicating the respect and regard that we have for our veterans. I am proud that we in Scotland have taken the steps that we are. Other nations in these islands equally respect our veterans, and they do so in different ways and support them in different ways. I think that there is a little bit that could be a land from the way that we do it. Gordon MacDonald referred to the Scottish Veterans Fund. This past year, for example, that has supported some 19 projects and continues to be an important support that is provided to veterans. The motion before us and many of the contributions are referred to Eric Fraser as the veterans commissioner and Colonel Charlie Wallace, who will be a new veterans commissioner. That is an important role. With something like 400,000 veterans who have served in our armed forces for some point in their lives, that is important. 20,000 people across the UK leave our armed forces every year. The transition to civilian life can be difficult for some people. There are over 50 veterans organisations. That is part of the 300-plus that Maurice Corry referred to as charities in Scotland. Poppy Scotland is well known to us. Veterans, first point, would be another. Those organisations, doing their own thing, working often with the Scottish Government, are integral to what we do. I want to just look at what the Scottish Veterans Commissioner said in his report. He described testimony from John Johnson, a veteran and research project officer at Borders General Hospital, who was helped by veterans first point. John states, the whole ethos of veterans first point is that they go the extra mile for everyone who accesses the service. They help me to get out of the house and meet like-minded people, which is ultimately the reason that I am here today. The member is just closing. Even if you finish treatment or completed a programme, never closes its door to you. My personal connections are modest. My father did know Lloyd George James Dornan and was his election agent when he stood for the rectorial ship of Edinburgh University. His cousin was in Lloyd George's Government during the First War and was in noble by Ramsey MacDonald in the 1920s. There is no holding you back, Mr Stevenson. I call Jackie Baillie to close for Labour. I have always acknowledged that Stuart Stevenson had multiple careers. I did not realise that he was as old as the hills and remembered back to whatever time it was. It gives me great pleasure to close this debate today on behalf of the Scottish Labour Party. Like others, I want to start by thanking Keith Brown for his services and minister particularly in this policy area. We have not always agreed on every policy area, but we certainly have on this one. I would also like to use this opportunity to welcome Graham Day and Claire Hockey to their new ministerial posts. I should also tell the chamber that I am the deputy convener of the cross-party group on armed forces and veterans in their families. I know my role. It is to keep Maurice Corry in check, which I am happy to say that I fail miserably at. Can I welcome the many veterans and serving personnel who have been in the chamber today and thank them, as others have done, for all their service to the country? We are very grateful to them. As my constituency is now probably whom, to most of our armed forces personnel, I am particularly interested in how provision is made across a range of services—health, housing, education and employment to name but for. I will not have time to do all that justice in six minutes. I am told that I have seven, so I will certainly try. However, I hope to have a positive dialogue with the new minister, Graham Day, in the future, so he is not getting off lightly today. The focus of today's debate has been on access to health services and in particular mental health services, mentioned by almost every speaker in the chamber. I, too, welcome the work done by Scotland's first commissioner for veterans, Eric Fraser, on health and wellbeing, and, to welcome the new commissioner, Charlie Wallace, to his post. I look forward to working with him in the future. In considering mental health, let me reference the work done by the forces in mind trust with their report called to mind Scotland, published this time two years ago. Their review of mental health services for veterans praised the work carried out in Scotland and the commitment of professionals to do more, but it also identified critical gaps. In a series of something like 16 recommendations, they sign posted key areas for improvement. The report from the veterans commissioner very helpfully builds on that early work, and some of the recommendations not surprisingly cover similar areas for improvement. Members from across the chamber have covered some of those recommendations this afternoon, and I welcome many of the comments made by the Minister for Mental Health in her opening contribution. However, let me just push just a little more, because we know what the problem is. We have some of the solutions suggested in the recommendations from two reports. What we need is an implementation and monitoring framework. Who is responsible for each action? When will that action be achieved, and, importantly, how much resource will be attached? I welcome the global figures outlined by the minister in her earlier contribution, but it is useful to tease out what applies to veterans and which health boards are providing what services. I hope that she will take the time to look at that. I am keen and I am sure that it is an ambition shared across the chamber that the Government walks the walk to make this a reality. Sticking to one local thing, I support Maurice Corry's suggestion about a specific specialist mental health unit at the Vale of Leven hospital. It is disappointing that the MOD does not appear to be that interested, but I hope that the minister, Claire Hawkey, might indeed be persuaded. Let me turn briefly to housing that is touched on by other members. I am very conscious that there are veterans who leave the forces and end up being homeless, whether it is through a lack of preparation before they leave the service or an inability to cope with life on Sivvy Street. Homelessness can and should be prevented. The numbers are going the wrong way, and I ask the minister to take a look at what more can be done for prevention. Moving on to education, which I do not think that anybody else has raised, I want to raise two very specific issues. Firstly, the service pupil premium, which is provided by the Department of Education in England for pastoral care, and secondly, the MOD education support fund. The service children premium is not available in Scotland, is not part of the criteria for pupil equity funding. That is disappointing given the concentration of forces families in particular local authority areas. Secondly, the education support fund started life in 2011 with £3 million, grew to £6 million in 2014, which was welcome, and then, for the next two years, will have a budget of £3 million and £2 million. Whilst I welcome its continuation by the UK Government, I am disappointed that the numbers are going the wrong way. Scotland appears to have received above-average funding from this route, which is great. It has helped to deliver support activities for those local authorities where there are large clusters of service children in their schools, providing help during what we know as stressful periods of relocation and deployment separation. Let me make a positive suggestion to the minister. Instead of short-term project funding, how about having a Scottish service pupil premium that would deliver sustainable and long-term support, allowing our schools and local authorities to plan better? I am told that stress and the consequences of it are already legislated for in the additional support for learning act of 2004. It is also part of GoFec. That is really welcome, but it needs to be properly funded and the current formula does not take the needs of service children into account. I really hope and encourage the minister to consider this and report back to Parliament at a future date. Finally, let me turn briefly to employment I know that there is much work going on to ensure that veterans are supported into employment. There is more to do on training and transition, and I welcome that focus on employment, but I also want to mention the important role that is played by military spouses. Military spouses perform a critical role in supporting our servicemen and women, but the huge array of skills that they have are going unrecognised and they struggle to find work in places around our military bases. Like Maurice Corry, in my own area of Helensburgh, recruit for spouses is doing great work to open doors for military spouses and using their skills and talents to benefit the local economy, and I hope to see more of that. Finally, I recently attended a photographic exhibition in the Parliament by Wendy Fox called Not Just A Wife. It illustrated that in pictures and stories, each of them, for each of those military spouses, is absolutely inspiring. I look forward to working with the new minister to make progress on all of those issues going forward. Thank you, and I call Edwin Mountain to close for the Conservatives. Mr Mountain, please. Thank you, Presiding Officer, and I would like to thank Claire Hohey for bringing this motion forward, which I am very happy to support. I am also happy to support the amendment of my party. I ought to declare at the outset, like Maurice Corry, Keith Brown, Mike Rumbles and Mark Griffin, that I am also a veteran. I am not going to make the mistake of saying as I did last time that I was a soldier because I was co-at-orth that we were all soldiers together, because Keith Brown rapidly corrected me saying that he was a marine. I am a veteran of the Blues and Royals, the same regiment that my son now serves in. At this stage, I would also like to take the opportunity to personally thank Eric Fraser for the energy and dedication that he brought to his role as Scotland's first veterans commissioner. I would like to welcome his successor Charlie Wallace, another veteran to the role, and I am sure that he will bring the same passion to supporting our veterans as Eric Fraser did. In my closing, I would like to mention one or two of the things that have been brought up today. Those are the points that I think are important. Maurice Corry talked about isolation, but I say to you that it is not just ex-service personnel who can feel isolated. Families' partners do as well. On being discharged, service personnel and their families are no longer part of a tight-knit community that they are used to. That can give rise to loneliness and sometimes, in the case of the serving personnel, being worthless. We need to ensure that their skills, which are numerous, allow them to come part of the new teams, thus worthwhile members of the new communities that they join. Maurice Corry made it clear that we need partnerships between Government and charitable organisations to support veterans, and I wholeheartedly agree. Brian Whittle built on that. He spoke about how difficult it is one day to be part of the small team that is committed, dedicated and, the next day, feeling cast adrift. Wise word, some find transition difficult, some find it easy. Tom Mason spoke about the obligation to look after veterans and their families, and he said that the job is not done until it is complete. That, we have to do more. I agree. Mark Griffin spoke and highlighted about the debt of gratitude Scotland owes to all our armed forces and their families. Again, I agree. Mike Rumbles stressed the need for early intervention and appropriate medical care being made available. Keith Brown spoke about the importance of armed forces champions. They are really important. Angela Constance spoke about the need for a Team Scotland approach to our veterans. Absolutely right. Alex Rowley said that when it comes to veterans, we must never leave anyone behind. We never should and we never will. It is an excellent summary of the position. Gordon MacDonald spoke of the need for specialist medical and mental services for veterans that need it. He also spoke about homelessness, which I will come back to, and why veterans should never be without a roof over their head. James Doran spoke about volunteering and the part that veterans played in that. It is a great transferable skill set that they bring from the services. Stuart Stevenson talked about reservists and how they contributed to the armed services and how they should not be overlooked when we are talking about it. Jackie Baillie spoke about the need to identify those who need help and what we should do to help them. I agree. I want to talk very briefly about homeless veterans. I agree that it is vitally important and we could do more to use unused married quarters for veterans. It is a good idea. It is something that the services have struggled with, I know, because, as units are posted in and out of areas of Scotland, they have to have the quarters available for the families. It is very difficult to know how many of those quarters will be needed at any stage. However, I believe that it is an idea that we should look at more. It is an issue that is not too difficult to solve. We should be able to balance the current use of army quarters against future use. Therefore, I believe that it is something that we could work cross-party to come to a solution on. One of the things that was also mentioned by the previous veterans champion is the need to identify people who needed help early. I stress that we should never forget those people who leave the services earlier than they plan to. Those are the people who feel most vulnerable and often need our help. We should be finding ways that I would suggest on monitoring those people, looking at them and identifying early on when they need help before they actually ask it. It is clear to me—I think that everyone in this chamber—that veterans and their families require support at all stages of their life. I have to mention something that I mention every single time when we talk about veterans. That is the protection from legacy investigations. Parliament may remember that I recounted the story of Dennis Hutchins in the chamber at the end of last year. I would like to remind those in this chamber of his story again, because brave veterans who have put their lives on the line to defend their country are still being hounded in their retirement and dragged through the courts to face accusations that have already been investigated and closed. Dennis Hutchins, a former lifeguard, is just one of many of the soldiers who are in that position. He served in Northern Ireland during the troubles and is facing legal action. After two investigations, Dennis was told that the matter was closed. However, he has now been charged with attempted murder despite no evidence, no living witnesses and the loss of key forensic evidence. I do not believe that this is right and I believe that, as parliamentarians, we must fulfil our very basic duty to our veterans by protecting those people from which hunts that are going on. Can I just caution you? So far, it has been okay, but we must watch if there are live proceedings, court proceedings, so I would say that sufficient has been said. Let's put it like that. Oh, you have taken intervention. Yes, Mr Rorner. Thank you very much. I am just talking that the member is not suggesting that, because somebody was in the armed forces or as a veteran, that he therefore should be immune from prosecution for anything that he committed or anything that occurred while he was in the forces? I say to members that I would be happy for reasons that I have just expounded that we do not pursue this particular area at this moment. You have made your point. I think that you should continue with your speech with my cautionary words. I very much take that point. If I can just say, I absolutely believe that everyone should be held accountable for their actions. 90 per cent of the population, though, will have little idea what it is like to face split second decisions during combat, knowing that inaction could cost lives. Thankfully, most of us have not had to face that. Therefore, I would like to encourage the Scotland's veteran commissioner, the Scottish Government and members of this chamber to look at those Scottish veterans who are faced by legacy investigations and to wonder whether, in service of their country, they have done enough without being handed for actions 40 years ago. The Scottish Government supports the ongoing work of the Scottish Government in repaying the debt that we have to our Scottish veterans. We, as a party, look forward to seeing Charlie Wallace building on the excellent work of the previous commissioner. I also look forward to working with the new minister of veterans affairs and saying that if he is supporting our veterans, I will do everything that I can to help them. I call on Graeme Dey to close for the Government Minister till decision time. Let me begin by thanking members for their contributions to the debate that served to remind all of us that many MSPs from across the political spectrum have a close personal interest in our armed forces community. The role of veterans ministers is one that I am delighted and honoured to take on in the three months between being appointed—this is my first debate as Scottish veterans minister. I have visited a range of organisations and employers that support veterans. I have been meeting veterans, ranging in age and situation, and in many conversations with them, which have given me helpful insights and ideas into where we need to focus as a Government. It has all been extremely helpful because my job is to build on Keith Brown's work on improving the lives of and support for our armed forces and veterans community here in Scotland. It was excellent work, including the creation of the Veterans Commissioner's Post and the redevelopment of the Scottish Veterans Fund. I joined Jackie Baillie, Maurice Corry and Mark Griffin in recognising that. On helpful pointers, let me welcome a number of contributions from today's debate from colleagues. Maurice Corry noted the role of local health and social care partnerships in delivering service. I agree with him. I think that they are pivotal to delivery in terms of long-term sustainable services. I expect them to deliver in a way that reflects veterans' priorities and the military's covenant commitments. Angela Constance noted the work of the Scottish War Blinded, and I attended her annual conference. I was very much struck by the incredibly positive view that users had of the support that was being afforded by that organisation. Brian Whittle highlighted the work of Holly Bush House, which I visited recently and he is correct about the great work that is done there by combat stress. Let me note in acknowledging that the partnership working that is going on there between combat stress and Ayrshire and Arran NHS. His analogy between athletics and armed forces was quite thought-provoking, and I think that it will have resonated with the veterans present. Alex Rowley and another thoughtful and considered contribution touched on the data gathering issue. I am not in a position to greatly expand on what I said to him in the exchange of letters, but, for the benefit of the chamber, the Government is looking at how information that is held on the NHS central register might be transferrable to the ISD in order that we can improve the collection of data on veterans and of the who have contact with NHS mental health services. Once established, that information can be used not only to track the tragedies that occur at times, but also to highlight those who are at risk and what support they might need. There is a lot of potential there, and I welcome Alex Rowley's interest in that subject. Gordon MacDonald and James Dornan offered some interesting ideas about housing. Let me acknowledge James Dornan's efforts to secure Glasgow Housing Association's commitment to providing 10 houses specifically for service personnel on an annual basis. There were a number of other very welcome contributions. Jackie Baillie set me a series of challenges. I am not going to have the time to respond to those in detail, but I look forward to engaging on those. One of the first tasks that I embarked upon in Government was to undertake a range of discussions with my ministerial colleagues to ensure that we have a whole-of-government approach to supporting our armed forces community. I am pleased to say that, across areas such as health, housing and employability, the response has been entirely positive. We will be working closely together, potentially with other colleagues in the year ahead, to improve and refine the support on offer to our veterans. Partnership working across the public, private and charitable sector, is also key here. The role played, for example, by armed forces champions in local authorities remains crucial. I am committed to strengthening our network of champions in local authorities, as well as other public bodies, and to working genuinely in partnership with them. As well as updating Parliament, the debate has provided an opportunity to welcome our new veterans commissioner, Charlie Wallace, to the post. I thank Eric Fraser for his work over the past four years. I echo the earlier words of thanks from around the chamber, and I note in particular Eric's work to change perceptions and ensure that we see veterans as assets, not burdens. I think that that has been incredibly important. The Scottish Government this week has published the Scottish Government's support for veterans and armed forces community in Scotland document, which sets out some of what we have delivered, but also highlights the actions that we are taking to look across ministerial portfolios at service delivery to identify and understand areas for improvement. The needs of veterans are likely to change in the years ahead as we see a shift in the demographics of the population, so it is right that we consider how we need to adapt going forward. We are working as part of reviewing our service provision and in keeping with that partnership approach that I touched on earlier, we are working alongside the Ministry of Defence and other devolved administrations on a new veterans strategy. We are extremely aware that accurate data and better identification at the point of referer are essential to develop a clearer picture of needs. I am therefore delighted to confirm a positive outcome to the Royal British Legion and Poppy Scotland's Count them in campaign that was touched upon by Angela Constance. Earlier today, the national records of Scotland set out the current plans for the census in 2021, which included a new question on veterans to provide robust statistics on the size, location and profile of our veterans here in Scotland. I know that the plan will be welcomed widely and it will help us along with our partner organisations to develop and improve services. Of course, the final decision will lie with the Scottish Parliament, but I can advise members that, subject to the legislative agenda, a draft order will be laid in late 2019. However, we are also aware that having easy access to the right information is vital for the armed forces community, in particular those who are transitioning out of the services, or perhaps moving to Scotland for the first time. Over the past year, the Government has therefore continued to improve how we provide information about the services that are available. For example, in June, we published Welcome to Scotland. Information was also a key recommendation in the commissioner's housing report. This year, we have published an updated version of the housing guide that is redesigned to improve its content, visual impact and accessibility. I am also continuing to work with my colleague, the Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, to look at how we can better address and prevent homelessness among our veterans' population. The veterans employability strategic group will make an intervention very briefly. I welcome the comments that the minister has said. On the relation to MOD housing, I have had some success with that, with the MOD label Royal Navy in Vaseline, where we have moved families around there. There is a door, but there is no opportunity there. If the minister would like to discuss how I did it, I would be more than happy to do so. Minister, there is another invitation to engage, and I will take that offer up. The veterans employability strategic group is progressing our engagement on employability and continues to take forward the veteran commissioner's previous recommendations, including in areas such as work placements, accreditation and mapping of military skills into the civilian workplace. Earlier today, I was pleased to launch a veterans employability concordat with key partners on the veterans employability strategic group, which sets out our enduring partnership arrangement and to support those transitioning from the armed forces into fulfilling civilian careers. We are also accelerating opportunities to create business work spaces near military bases to help those who want to develop their own business. We are, of course, lucky to have a strong veterans charitable sector here in Scotland, and I have already had the opportunity to meet veterans Scotland, Poppy Scotland and Legion Scotland and many others who are delivering great support. The Scottish Government continues to support veterans organisations and charities directly through the Scottish Veterans Fund. Those projects and initiatives provide essential support to our veterans community. This year marks the 10th year anniversary of the veterans fund, with more than £1.3 million given to more than 150 projects throughout Scotland. Looking to the future, our focus will continue to be on working positively and collaboratively across Government and the wider charitable and private sectors to champion our armed forces community. There are great examples of support for veterans throughout local authorities in Scotland, and I am keen to see that best practice shared widely. I am also keen that we continue to see cross-party support, both here and more locally, on delivering for veterans. I think that today's debate has shown that MSPs in the main are capable of taking that approach, and let me acknowledge and welcome that. We know that there are many areas where we are leading the way here in Scotland, and a number of members have acknowledged that, but it is right that we take stock in order to ensure that we are maximising efficiency and that we are adapting to changing needs. I and my ministerial colleagues, along with the other members of this Parliament, remain committed to providing the best possible levels of support for veterans both now and in the future. Thank you very much, and that concludes our debate on Scottish Government support for veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland. The next item of business is consideration of business motion 14131, in the name of Graeme Dey, on behalf of the Parliamentary Bureau, setting out a revised business programme for next week. I could ask any member who wishes to speak against the motion to say so now, per calling Graeme Dey, to move the motion. No member has asked to speak against the motion, therefore the question is that motion 14131 be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are all agreed. There are two questions to be put at decision time today. The first question is the amendment 14094.2, in the name of Maurice Corry, which seeks to amend motion 14094, in the name of Claire Hockey, on Scottish Government support for veterans and the armed forces community in Scotland be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. The final question is that motion 14094, in the name of Claire Hockey, as amended, be agreed. Are we all agreed? We are agreed. That concludes decision time. I close this meeting.