Leader of the Welsh Conservatives and Clwyd West MS Darren Millar has called on Senedd Members to work together to make Wales the most veteran-friendly nation in the world.
Making a Statement to mark VE Day in the Welsh Parliament, Darren paid tribute to all those who paid the ultimate sacrifice and said MSs of all political persuasions should come together to ensure that veterans, and the wider armed forces community, receive the support they both need and deserve.
Speaking in the Senedd Chamber, he said:
“There are many things that divide us in this Chamber, but this is an issue on which we absolutely agree. We agree on those fundamental values that people fought in Europe for all those years ago: beliefs in freedom, in democracy, and in human rights. These are the values that we share in common.”
Darren went on to refer to events that will be happening in Wales, some of which he will be attending, to mark VE Day.
He also spoke of the veterans he met when visiting a Veterans Hub last week.
He added:
“It's very important that we all work together in this Chamber to support our veterans in Wales and our wider armed forces community. I've been pleased to put my shoulder to the wheel along with other Members of this Chamber over the years to try to do just that, because I want Wales to be the most veteran-friendly nation not just in the United Kingdom, but in the world, and I believe that we can really achieve that aim.
“One of the things that has been flagged up with me in recent years and months is the fact that we still need to support our veterans with mental health challenges and with PTSD. We celebrated the fifteenth anniversary of the fantastic Veterans' NHS Wales service just last week in the Pierhead building, and it was great to see the Minister for Mental Health taking part in that event, but that is a service that, as fantastic as it is, still requires more investment.
“It would be wonderful this week, First Minister, if you were able to announce some additional investment to make sure that that service can invest in the peer mentors that it needs going forward.”
Darren also called on the Welsh Government to petition the UK Government “so that our Welsh Veterans Commissioner can become a permanent post.” It currently expires in December.
