It has been confirmed that next week Portsmouth South MP will be leading a Westminster Hall debate in Parliament on veteran suicide
This will provide the city MP and other parliamentarians the opportunity to debate the important issue of how to improve support given to ex-service people, ensure appropriate recording and hold to account the Government Minister responsible, who will also be present.
The debate has been secured after months of campaigning by the city MP and local groups and charities, and with pressure from The News.
Responding to the news that a debate had been confirmed in Westminster Hall, Stephen Morgan MP said:
“It is important to stress that many ex-service personnel naturally transition into civilian life without suffering hardship of any kind.
However, this discussion is about those who do require support. It is high time we give those veterans the respect they need and deserve.
This issue was brought to me by experts from organisations such as All Call Signs and Combat Stress, many of whom are ex-service themselves. This is about making sure their voice is heard.”
Stephen James, Founder of veterans Charity, All Call Signs has said:
“We’re losing veterans in the space between them needing mental health treatment and receiving it.
With the largest forces charities and the NHS reporting untenable waiting times for even basic triage, something needs to be done immediately”
The crux of the issue is that in an NHS budget of over £150 billion UK-wide, less than £10 million per annum (0.007%) has been allocated to veteran-specific mental health services.
As it stands, the government has refused requests to start recording suicides that occur within the veteran community, something that separates us from our allies in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The significance of this cannot be underestimated. Without a quantifiable record, it will be harder to make progress with regard to addressing the serious issue.
Current estimates project that it could be as high as one ex-service personnel every 7 days but without detailed analysis, the problem has the potential to be far worse.
Last November the city MP chaired a round table discussion with the Shadow Veterans Minister with representatives from the charity sector to learn from good practice in supporting veterans, and hear the challenges groups face.
Mr. Morgan added:
“This is not a party-political matter. I want to see cross-party cooperation to increase the funding given to veteran-specific mental health services and see a more tailored approach to how we support our brave men and women.
This includes better recording of data on the link between ex-service personnel and suicide.
No other job requires you to go long periods without sleep, determines when you get up and go to bed and potentially puts you in harm’s way. The mental health services available to veterans should reflect this fact.”
Calls for better monitoring have come from a litany of sources including media organisations, charities, and concerned MPs. Significantly, the Defence Select Committee, the body responsible for the checks and balances of the MoD, has joined in condemning the government’s actions.
In a recent report, they made recommendations that the Ministry of Defence should cooperate with the Ministry of Justice to collate data on whether individuals who have committed suicide were from the veteran community. The Westminster Hall debate gives Mr. Morgan the opportunity to raise this directly with the minister responsible.
Ahead of the debate, Mr. Morgan commented:
“I look forward to my continued work with veterans’ charities such as All Call Signs, Combat Stress and others to bring this issue to the forefront of the government’s radar.
I will continue to raise this issue inside and out of Parliament until the government allocates the funding needed to veterans mental health services and accepts the need to properly record data relevant to veteran suicide.”
