(Title Image: BBC Wales)
- Members of the Senedd reflect on Armistice Day in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Gratitude expressed to past service and current assistance from the armed forces.
- Acknowledgement that transitioning to civilian life remains difficult for some veterans, with the Welsh Government “striving to do more”.
The Motion
The Senedd:
- Notes Armistice Day and remembers and honours all those who have lost their lives and made sacrifices, including civilian casualties of conflict.
- Thanks organisations across Wales working to support the Armed Forces community and veterans.
- Expresses gratitude for the significant contribution made by the Armed Forces to the national Covid-19 response in Wales and acknowledges the significant ongoing contribution that the military makes to Wales.
- Calls upon the Welsh Government to continue to engage with stakeholders as it seeks to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant.
Serving with distinction
It seemed everyone who contributed to the debate wanted to add individual stories of sacrifice, heroism or poetic interpretations of the horrors of war.
In terms of the here and now, Shadow Communities Minister, Mark Isherwood MS (Con, North Wales), welcomed that the Welsh Government has agreed to extend discounted rail travel to veterans, as well as the UK Government’s decision to ask questions on military service and veteran status in next year’s census – which will benefit veterans organisations. He repeated Welsh Conservative calls for an Armed Forces Commissioner.
Dr Dai Lloyd MS (Plaid, South Wales West) said Armistice Day was clearly very different this year while the group of veterans gets smaller every year. Laura Anne Jones MS (Con, South Wales East) said the fact it was different this year made it more important.
Alun Davies MS (Lab, Blaenau Gwent) hoped the proposed closure of military based in Brecon would be overturned and that the UK military’s presence here would properly reflect the high recruitment levels from Wales.
“….although the vast majority of veterans readjust to life on civvy street, a considerable minority will face difficulties with homelessness, substance abuse and relationship breakdown. There is no automatic signposting for help in the army debriefing process. Our manifesto called for the military covenant to include social services, for mental health assessments to be part of the debriefing procedure, as well as welfare support, including advice on housing, employment and money management, and we called for a system of veterans’ courts to be established.”
– Delyth Jewell MS (Plaid, South Wales East)
Striving to go further
Deputy Minister for Local Government & Housing, Hannah Blythyn (Lab, Delyn), outlined the breadth of the support that was available for veterans in social isolation, supporting the children of service personnel and NHS services.
More recently, the Welsh Government signed up to the “Great Place to Work” veterans recruitment scheme for the civil service. The Deputy Minister also paid tribute to service members of the armed forces who’ve assisted during the pandemic.
“We welcome the establishment of Academi Heddwch Cymru, and we should always strive for peaceful resolutions and recognise the role our armed forces have played in peacekeeping operations around the world. Peace, like progress, is not inevitable.”
– Deputy Minister for Local Government & Housing, Hannah Blythyn
Vote
Plaid Cymru abstained because their amendment (which did have support) – calling for a focus on preventing conflict and celebrating the establishment of a Peace Academy – didn’t get as far as a vote. In order to get a vote on amendments, the unamended version has to be rejected first of all, but it wasn’t.
Leanne Wood MS (Plaid, Rhondda) has clarified on Twitter that her vote against was by accident.
