2. Will the Minister make a statement on support for veterans in Wales? OQ56055

We value and continue to provide a range of support to our armed forces community. Our armed forces annual report, laid before the Senedd on 30 September 2020, sets out in detail the comprehensive support we provide to veterans in Wales.

Thank you, Minister. Newport Veterans Hub is a social support group that aims to bring veterans out of isolation and give them a place to socialise and make new friends. As well as offering support and activities for veterans and their families, including a free meal delivery service for those suffering with ill health, they link up with other local and national organisations to ensure their members can access the services that they need. They're really keen that the hub supports veterans and their families as well. They have recently linked up with Dragons Rugby and their mission is to make Newport one of the best places for supporting veterans in the UK.

Speaking with some of the veterans when I visited the Thursday drop-in, the work that they're doing is phenomenal, and sadly very necessary. We're all aware of the difficulties faced by servicemen and women when they return from active service, and while warm words are welcome, veterans and their families want and need to see support in practical ways. The support offered by the hub is tailored to the needs of the users, and is greatly appreciated. The hub is a charitable organisation that relies on donations, so would the Minister look closely at the excellent work of Newport Veterans Hub and ensure that the Welsh Government is doing all that it can to support our veterans and their families in our communities?

Can I thank Jayne Bryant for sharing her recent visit and the excellent and very valued work that the Newport Veterans Hub does? You mentioned the importance of working in partnership as well, and that peer-led support that we know makes a big difference, and is a way that we can actually do all that we can and need to do to support those who've served and our veterans in Wales. One of the things I'd say is that we're very much committed to supporting and building on that support for those who've served in Wales, and actually the scoping exercise that took place last year to identify those areas where we perhaps might need to build on and strengthen support—I know that the Newport Veterans Hub participated in that, and also they actually work closely and are supported by the Welsh Government-funded armed forces liaison officers. But I'm very happy to continue the conversation with the Member if she'd like to write to me about the work of the hub, to see how actually we can make sure they're well aligned with the work we're doing right across Government, and the armed forces expert group as well.

Thank you, Minister. I too would like to extend my thanks and congratulations to the Newport Veterans Hub. They do fantastic work. Charities supporting veterans have been hard hit by this coronavirus pandemic, and I'm thinking of the poppy appeal particularly during the firebreak. In view of this, what additional specific and targeted support will the Minister provide for veterans in Wales who may have been adversely impacted by the loss of funding during this time?

I thank Laura Anne Jones for her question as well, and add to the appreciation that we all recognise for organisations like the Newport Veterans Hub. Like you say, like many organisations it's faced difficult and very different times as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic. I've been in close contact with the Royal British Legion, particularly ahead of the poppy appeal, to make sure that we were working with them as a Government to support their work, albeit in very different circumstances, and challenging circumstances, for the remembrance period of 2020. It was obviously very different to what it was in previous years. We'll continue to work very closely with those charities and other organisations to build on the support that's already there. This is an ongoing situation that we review, but if you haven't done so already, I'd urge you to take a look at the annual report, which looks at the support we provide and how we aim to build on that. But I'd really like to place on record today that this Government is absolutely, wholeheartedly committed to working in partnership across Government and with local authority and third sector partners to make sure we can do all we can to support our veterans in Wales. Whilst we might not have responsibility for defence, we absolutely are there to support our veterans in a range of areas from health to housing to education and so on, and their families as well.

Porthcawl Veterans Hub and the many volunteers there give so much support to veterans, and without this support, many of them would be lost. But Minister, the pandemic has highlighted the fact that we as a nation are still failing our ex-servicemen and women, and veterans are still struggling to get the support they need and deserve, and far too many veterans have now been highlighted as still sleeping rough or sofa surfing, despite a commitment from both the UK and Welsh Governments. Minister, do you agree with me that we must do much more for these heroes who regularly put their lives on the line for us, and will you commit to finding accommodation for every single one of the veterans in Wales who so desperately need it? Thank you. 

Diolch. Thank you, Caroline Jones. You again highlight the excellent work of the many hubs and organisations that are supporting our veterans and working in partnership in communities right across the country. We're very much committed to building on that support. As I said, our scoping exercise that took place last year was aimed at perhaps identifying where some things could be better aligned, and where those gaps were in support. They worked with a number of hubs and organisations that work closely with veterans, and with veterans themselves, in terms of actually identifying how we can build on that support in the areas that we do have responsibility for within Wales. 

As part of that veterans scoping work, we are going to be updating the housing pathway that's already in place, working with the sector both in terms of the housing sector and those who support veterans, to ensure that housing providers are fully aware of it and making sure it's being fully engaged. Alongside that, we'll also make sure that our housing guidance is reviewed and updated for providers to make sure that the needs of our armed forces are being considered and, indeed, put front and centre as we take that work forward. Because I couldn't agree more with the Member, and other Members who've raised support for our veterans in the Senedd today, that we are absolutely committed and we do owe that debt of gratitude to those who served and those who continue to serve, to ensure that that support and guidance is there in communities right across the country.