Debate contribution: Supporting Service Leavers, Veterans and their Families

Debate contribution by Mr Stewart Dickson on 4 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Stewart Dickson

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

4 November 2025

Type

Debate contribution

Business

Private Members' Business

Heading

Supporting Service Leavers, Veterans and their Families

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 5217017

Read the official Assembly record

Text

As my colleague Paula Bradshaw said, the Alliance Party is pleased to support the motion. Indeed, we do so as a party that is proud to count among its members service leavers, veterans and their families. The motion, at its heart, is about fairness and about the simple fact that serving your country should never be a source of disadvantage for you or your family. It is not about asking for special treatment but about recognising the real barriers faced by those who have spent years serving elsewhere when they return home. The armed forces covenant is a promise — a promise that no one who has served should be left behind. We must therefore recognise the progress that has been made. Since the Armed Forces Act 2021, public bodies have had a legal duty to consider the covenant in healthcare, education and housing. We can see that in the Department of Education's pupil premium for service children and the Housing Executive's work on fair access. Those are both positive and tangible steps, and they show that Departments are taking their duties seriously. However, let us be clear: progress is uneven. While some Departments have forged ahead, others are behind, and, critically, we are flying blind. The Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) estimates that there are between 40,000 and 60,000 veterans in Northern Ireland, yet, without a census question, we are making policy in the dark. If we do not have the data, how can we know whether our measures are truly working or where the most urgent gaps remain? It is not just a local challenge. The Defence Committee in Westminster recently found that access to the covenant's support has been a postcode lottery across the UK. That alone tells us that we need to be consistent in delivery and stronger in coordination. The covenant truly works only when every part of government, every employer and every Education Department pulls in the same direction. That is the core of the motion. It is a call for joined-up leadership so that, no matter which door a veteran or their family walk through, they will receive consistent, fair and informed responses. When we open those doors, we must remember what service leavers bring back to our society. They come home, as others have said, with skills in leadership, teamwork, engineering and logistics. They are proven problem-solvers who are accustomed to working to a common goal. Helping them settle into civilian life is not just a moral duty; it is a smart economic investment. Veterans do not just need support; they strengthen our workforces and enrich our communities. We should also acknowledge the work of those who are already leading the way. Organisations like the Royal British Legion, the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association, Brooke House and the Reserve Forces' and Cadets' Associations support well-being, provide vital advice and connect the armed forces community to wider society. Their work is living proof that it is partnership, not politics, that delivers real results. Let me tell you about one veteran, Jacqui. She was always destined to wear a uniform and was proud to be in the Royal Air Force. She relished the camaraderie and the travel until, one day, the pressure hit her. It consumed her. Battling depression, she turned to alcohol. Leaving the RAF and taking off her uniform did not take away her problems; it took away her support network. Alone in civvy street, her problems grew. She struggled to find permanent work and took out loans just to survive. With military friends spread far and wide, all those relationships broke down. It was on the day that she looked in her purse and saw that she was down to her last 60p that Jacqui, ashamed and fearful of judgement, contacted the Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen’s Families Association. Her caseworker did not judge her. She saw a mother doing her best and in need of urgent help. Jacqui said that Cathy's kindness as her caseworker meant that she opened up about her situation. Cathy provided her with food parcels before referring her to a charity to help with counselling. Once her debts were consolidated, she had more money to live on and stopped dreading the letters on the doormat. Cathy understood that leaving the military had destroyed Jacqui's confidence and that the community was key to improving her mental health. She invited Jacqui to weekly meet-ups with other veterans, and it became her safe space. She has since met a new partner, and her life has changed beyond recognition. Supporting our veterans should, can and must be a unifying issue for the Assembly. This is about fairness, opportunity and respect. When we remove disadvantage, we strengthen not just the veteran community —

— but the very fabric of Northern Ireland.

802 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 13:45 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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