Scottish Government Support for the Veterans and Armed Forces Community 2024

Minister for Veterans Foreword

I am delighted to again present the Scottish Government’s annual report, and look forward to leading a debate in the Scottish Parliament, on our support throughout the past year for the veterans and Armed Forces community in Scotland.

This is our eighth such update and I am pleased to share the progress we have made across various areas of support for veterans, their families and the wider Armed Forces community.

This progress has, as ever, only been possible through effective teamworking with dedicated partners from the public, private and third sectors. Collaboration remains at the heart of the support we provide to our veterans and Armed Forces community in Scotland and I am grateful for the continuing work of our outstanding charity sector.

This year marked the 80th Anniversary of the D-Day landings and I was honoured to attend the National Commemorative Event; Scotland’s Salute: A Tribute to D-Day, at the Usher Hall in Edinburgh for which the Scottish Government provided £22,000 of funding.

We have also seen the publication of the first tranche of veterans-related census data which has told us that nearly 4% of Scotland’s population have previously served in the Armed Forces. It is important that we now make use of that data to better support our veterans and their families and I have written to all Local Authority Armed Forces Champions to begin to consider how we can use the census data to provide that support at a local level.

Recognising the experiences of underrepresented groups in the veterans community and ensuring they can access the support and services they need has been a top priority for us this year. For example, we continue to work with stakeholders to go beyond the suggestions made to the Scottish Government within Lord Etherton’s LGBT Veterans Independent Review and ensure that the services we fund are welcoming and inclusive to all. I have also had the chance to speak with women veterans to hear first-hand their experiences and consider how they can be better supported. This was also something that the Veterans Commissioner highlighted in her report on Community and Relationships and we are looking at how we can best take forward the recommendations which she made to the Scottish Government.

Supporting Veterans in both their physical and mental health has remained a priority over the past year. In November last year the GP Armed Forces Recognition Scheme was launched, which aims to raise awareness, among all General Practice staff, of some of the health challenges and the impact of military service for the Armed Forces community to support the provision of safe, effective health care.

This report provides a more detailed summary of the range of work that has been delivered this year in support of the veterans and Armed Forces community in Scotland and demonstrates our ongoing and unwavering commitment to ensuring that veterans and their families can get the right support, at the right time and in the right place and that they suffer no disadvantage as a result of their Service.

I would like to give my personal thanks to all the individuals and organisations who have contributed to these efforts during the past year and those who continue to work hard every day to support our veterans, Service personnel, and their families.

Graeme Dey

Minister for Veterans