Welsh Affairs Committee launches new inquiry into Services for Veterans

Call for evidence

There are nearly a quarter of a million armed forces veterans in Wales. These men and women who have served their country with distinction, sometimes in the gravest of danger, deserve the best help that can be provided when they leave the military and return to civilian life.

The Committee has decided to undertake an inquiry into the Support for Armed Forces Veterans in Wales. The inquiry will examine cross-border co-ordination as it affects veterans and the level of co-ordination between the Ministry of Defence, the Wales Office and the Welsh Government.

Inquiry focus

• The provision of support services to veterans and their families in Wales by the MoD, including resettlement provision;
• The provision of medical and mental health services for veterans in Wales, including cross-border implications;
• Co-ordination between the MoD, the Wales Office and the Welsh Government, in the provision of services for veterans; and
• The impact on Welsh veterans of any legally-enshrined military covenant and obligations as it relates to veterans.

In announcing the inquiry, the Chair of the Committee, David T.C. Davies MP stated; “Wales has a long and proud relationship with the armed forces. Welsh military personnel have made an enormous contribution to the defence of the United Kingdom and in ongoing conflicts around the world. It is incumbent upon us to ensure that veterans and their families are given the best possible support when they leave the military and return to civilian life.”

The Committee asks for written submissions on these issues in accordance with the guidelines stated below. The deadline for written submissions is 18 November 2011. If you would like to submit evidence after this date, please contact the Welsh Affairs Committee on 020 7219 6189. 

Please note Each submission should:

• begin with a short summary in bullet point form;

• have numbered paragraphs; and

• be in Word format or a rich text format with as little use of colour or logos as possible. The submission should contain no more than 3000 words.  Please do not send your submission as a PDF document.

A copy of the submission should be sent by e-mail to welshcom@parliament.uk and marked “Treatment of Veterans in Wales”. An additional paper copy should be sent to:

Welsh Affairs Committee,
House of Commons
7 Millbank
London
SW1P 3JA

It would be helpful, for Data Protection purposes, if individuals submitting written evidence send their contact details separately in a covering letter. You should be aware that there may be circumstances in which the House of Commons will be required to communicate information to third parties on request, in order to comply with its obligations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Please supply a postal address so a copy of the Committee’s report can be sent to you upon publication.

A guide for written submissions to Select Committees may be found on the  parliamentary website.

Please also note that:

• Material already published elsewhere should not form the basis of a submission, but may be referred to within a proposed memorandum, in which case a hard copy of the published work should be included.

• Memoranda submitted must be kept confidential until published by the Committee, unless publication by the person or organisation submitting it is specifically authorised.

• Once submitted, evidence is the property of the Committee. The Committee normally, though not always, chooses to make public the written evidence it receives, by publishing it on the internet (where it will be searchable), by printing it or by making it available through the Parliamentary Archives. If there is any information you believe to be sensitive you should highlight it and explain what harm you believe would result from its disclosure. The Committee will take this into account in deciding whether to publish or further disclose the evidence.

Select Committees are unable to investigate individual cases.

Further information 

• About Parliament: Select Committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees