Diolch, Ddirprwy Lywydd. Can I thank my own party for tabling this debate today and for not being afraid to put forward the first three points of this motion? Because these points are not motherhood and apple pie or sentimental hand wringing. Loss of life on this scale is both unimaginable and unconscionable, with consequences for every community. They remind us, as if we need reminding in this week of the publication of the Chilcott inquiry report, that the decision of any state to go to war must be based on overwhelmingly compelling evidence. They remind us that other parts of the world are still suffering from genocide. And they remind us to get a little bit of perspective on the events of the last month or so.

Perspective, of course, is one of the great gifts of archiving and interpretation and I hope that the Welsh Government will look favourably on the Welsh Conservatives’ proposals for the multi-site military museum for Wales where we can reflect on war and peace and the place of the people of Wales in both.

I’d also like to raise a couple of practical issues on point 4 of the motion, because I’ve no doubt that all Members of this Assembly are sincere in their insistence in recognising their service to this country and other countries, and our wish to recognise that by prioritising and meeting the needs of every serviceman and woman.

Even though Welsh Conservatives believe that the Welsh Government could go much further than they have to meet those needs, we do acknowledge the support that has been provided to date and I’m fairly sure that the Cabinet Secretary, and perhaps some other Members, if there were more of them here, might draw some attention to that. But I hope that those will also acknowledge that there’s a long way to go as well, and Welsh Conservatives will continue to call for an armed forces and veterans’ commissioner until we get one. No matter how excellent the services are that are available, in whatever sector, they are not necessarily well integrated nor are they easy to find. In the case of Welsh Government, that, I think, is partly down, again, to poor monitoring and evaluation.

Now, I expect the Cabinet Secretary to argue against the need for a commissioner because local authorities—all of them—have armed forces champions. Well, they might—but how accessible are they? It’s been like an episode of ‘Sherlock’ in my office this morning. While we finally got to the bottom of who has got the responsibility for this in Swansea council by going through a string of links relating to councillors, we’re still at a loss to identify who it is in Bridgend, although we did stumble across a PDF of a members’ report on the champion from 2013.

There is nothing intuitive or client-focused about this, there is nothing proactive about this, and no-one is being held accountable for this. A commissioner would help Welsh Government ensure that its hard work in this area is achieving results. And that’s all we want. I want it not just for servicemen and servicewomen, past and present, but for their families as well, because not every veteran will go through the extreme experiences that we’re going to be hearing about a bit more today, but those who do don’t always go through it alone; their family members are also affected. There is a duty, in my view, to make sure that close family members, who often become carers, are properly supported too. Because it’s often going to be those family members who take responsibility for trying to find help, who look at council websites and haven’t spent enough time on their X-Box to get the skills to negotiate the labyrinthine route to get that information. Please, Cabinet Secretary, make it easier for them. Help them and help the service leaver cope with the transition back into civilian life. I know you’ve got the will to do it, but the statistics for veterans who are unemployed, who are victims of substance abuse, prone to mental health problems—not just post-traumatic stress disorder–and who end up homeless are extremely worrying.

For almost every one of those individuals, there will be families in trouble and family members who don’t self-identify as carers. So, I’d be grateful, Cabinet Secretary, if you would confirm today that you will work with colleagues in Government to look at the carers strategy and evaluate, firstly, how well it meets and prioritises the needs of those who care for veterans, and, secondly, veterans who are themselves carers.

Some of the most disheartening data we have regarding ex-servicemen—and it is servicemen in particular—are the numbers who end up in prison and the effect that it has on them and their families. Returning to a stable family is the prime factor in an ex-offender’s chances of avoiding recidivism and the vulnerabilities that I’ve just mentioned. So, could I recommend the report of the cross-party group on children affected by parental imprisonment to you, Cabinet Secretary, as many of its findings will help assist Welsh Government in helping veteran ex-offenders and their families preserve that stability? Thank you.