3. What support is the Welsh Government providing to veterans in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire? OAQ54844

Our support for our armed forces veterans across Wales, including those living in Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, is set out in our annual report, which was published in May. In collaboration with our armed forces expert group and other key partners, we continue to build on this important work.

Thank you for the answer, Minister. I trust this will be uncontroversial because, of course, this is an area that we all care about. We must look after these individuals who've served our country and are now turning to the state for support.

I've got one constituent in his 30s who very much answers to that description of being a veteran: he's encountered a relationship breakdown, he's struggling with addictions and isolation issues since leaving the armed forces, and is suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress, it would appear. Now, when my office have tried to engage with local services, we've found it really hard to get them to really buy into the fact that he's a veteran. There are local organisations, such as the VC Gallery in Haverfordwest and some of the churches in Pembroke, that have been absolutely outstanding and have tried to offer support every which way they can.

Now, I know you have a veterans pathway, but what could you do, Minister, do you think, to ensure that it's adequately signposted to make sure that veterans are automatically referred to the right services when seeking help from the statutory bodies?

I thank the Member for the question. I know this is something you've had a long-standing interest in and have been an advocate for. And I think you're absolutely right that it's absolutely an issue that should be uncontroversial—it's something that we should all care about, and actually recognise the importance of supporting the people who've served our country in the armed forces. Unfortunately, the example you raise, and the experience of your constituent, is not one that is unfamiliar, and it's a story that I've heard time and time again when I myself have gone out to visit the various organisations and groups out there supporting our veterans. You note the example of the VC Gallery in Pembrokeshire Dock, which is doing an excellent job. And we recently undertook a scoping exercise, which looked at things, to try and look at what we were doing now and where that was working, but also to identify some of those gaps, and signposting is one of them. So, as we move forward now in the new year, I hope that we can take those issues that were raised on board, to actually try and fill in some of those gaps. The transition and signposting was one of the things that people—. Just knowing where to go for those support services, and how people better identify people who are veterans, and making sure the right support was there, in place, in the right place—. But if the Member wants me to look into the particular experience in more detail, then please do get in touch, and I'm happy to take that up for her.