2. Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on Welsh Government support for Armed Forces Day? OAQ(5)0161(CC)

I thank the Member for his question. We are proud to contribute annual funding support to deliver Armed Forces Days in both north and south Wales.

Huw Irranca-Davies says there’s a theme emerging, but it’s a slightly different focus. I was delighted to attend the Armed Forces Day celebrations in the Owain Glyndŵr fields in Caerphilly on Saturday, and the First Minister attended, together with the Secretary of State for Wales. It was a great pleasure to see many festivities, such as a Spitfire flying past and march of the regimental band of the Royal Welsh, and members of the Women’s Royal Army Corps were present in celebrating their centenary this year.

Will the Cabinet Secretary join me in welcoming the support given to Armed Forces Day in 2017 by the Welsh Government, by the UK Government, by local authorities and numerous community and voluntary groups, and indeed by many members of the public? Will he also agree that we must continue not only to support Armed Forces Day but also the services on which veterans in our communities depend after leaving the forces so that they can access the best services that they deserve?

Of course, and I pay tribute to the many reservists and armed forces families and serving personnel, right the way across the UK and the world. We should be very proud of our history and support for them. I know the First Minister attended the Caerphilly event also with the Member, and we’re very pleased again to make support for that. I’ve recently been informed that next year, Conwy County Borough Council have been successful in their application to host the national UK Armed Forces Day, to which the Welsh Government will be providing £135,000 of contribution for them to deliver this prestigious event.

I’m grateful to Hefin David for keeping the focus on this issue this afternoon. Cabinet Secretary, last week I attended a ‘fly the flag for our armed forces’ event at Monmouthshire County Council’s headquarters just outside Usk, and it was a very well-attended event. It goes to show how many not just Assembly Members but people across Wales want to honour our armed forces and recognise the very difficult job that they do. I understand that on Armed Forces Day, Stagecoach offered free travel to armed forces personnel carrying an ID card and to veterans carrying a veterans badge. I think that Stagecoach have signed a covenant to support the armed forces community. I think that’s a really worthwhile type of programme. Is that something that Welsh Government have been supporting and would look to support more in the future?

Of course, and we have the armed forces covenant in place right across Wales, and the UK, actually, and all local authorities are taking part in that. It is based locally. We have free swimming for some veterans in areas that the Welsh Government support. I take advice from the ministerial advisory group for the armed forces, and they certainly tell me about how welcome they feel in Wales and what more we can do to contribute and recognise the service that they’ve been engaged in across the world.

Cabinet Secretary, we celebrate Armed Forces Day each year in order to reaffirm our sincere appreciation for those who serve in the armed forces and to show our support for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect our country and our way of life. I was delighted when the UK Government and the DUP reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the armed forces covenant. In this spirit, Cabinet Secretary, will you reaffirm your Government’s commitment to the covenant and ensure that service families and veterans are given whatever support they need, which is, after all, a small price to pay for their sacrifice?

Of course, and what I can say is that, in Wales, we are very much at the forefront of delivery for our veterans and armed forces families, and we have many schemes in place. We invest £585,000 per annum into the veterans’ NHS scheme, working purely with veterans to access services—2,900 referrals through the scheme received. Also, I would ask the Member to perhaps put her influence into the UK Government, for we have in Wales, since April 2016, a higher disregard of £25 per week for veterans receiving war disablement pensions when accessing all forms of social care, and from April 2017, a full disregard will apply to this. That happens in Wales, but not in England yet.