Debate contribution: Supporting Service Leavers, Veterans and their Families

Debate contribution by Mr Andy Allen MBE on 4 November 2025.

MLA

Mr Andy Allen MBE

Party at the time

Ulster Unionist 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 5217059

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. I declare an interest not only as a veteran but as a trustee of a veterans' charity that delivers many of the services that have been highlighted by Members across the House. The motion can be broken down into distinct areas. First, the fact that veterans — service personnel — have transferable skills, which many Members have spoken about, for example, their dedication to service; commitment to leadership, teamwork and professional development; and the practical skills that can strengthen communities, businesses and voluntary work. Their contribution continues well beyond service and should rightly be recognised. I have the immense honour of getting to see much of it being delivered in practice. I have seen and supported many veterans through the vast array of organisations that I have the privilege of working with in delivering tangible outcomes and making sure that veterans are connected with employment opportunities and with local community groups and organisations. One example is that many veterans have gained qualifications in football through the Irish Football Association (IFA) and have gone on to deliver those skills and outputs in football clubs across our community and society. The next and, perhaps, key part of the motion refers to the fact that no service person or veteran should face disadvantage. The key is disadvantage. They should not face disadvantage, and I think that every Member has rightly referenced that no one should face disadvantage, not least those who serve our country. Whether in relation to housing, healthcare, education or employment, they should not face disadvantage, but, in some respects, they do. Many have challenges, and Members across the Chamber asked us to highlight some of those disadvantages. There are many, but one element that creates a disadvantage is hypervigilance, and it is not perceived by many in the community that I am proud to represent. They still live with the fear of what has gone on in this place. They are restricted in where they can put down as an area of choice for housing, for example, so that is a disadvantage. They are limited; they still have that hypervigilance. They still have challenges when they go to their GP service. They have challenges when they interact with the health service. They do not want to divulge their background. They are afraid of that, and we need to break that down and address it. It will take a very long time. A start could be for all of us to send the message in the Chamber, and I understand that, perhaps, Members across the Chamber cannot be convinced to support the motion.

It absolutely is, and I have highlighted that. I was going on to say that a powerful message to show how far we have come as a society would perhaps be for the Members on the other side of the House to abstain instead of going through the No Lobby. I know that that would not send the entire message to the veterans' community, but it would at least be progress.

The Member has made an interesting point. I was proud to serve and stand on a battlefield with many courageous and selfless individuals. Indeed, some of them put themselves in harm's way to extract me from a danger zone. They rushed in, not knowing that there were several other IEDs that had not detonated, and many of those individuals came from a different background from mine. It is that cultural enrichment that has helped me.

I thank the Member for her point, but she is missing the point of the motion. It is not about elevating members of the armed forces above others in society. It is about saying that, where a disadvantage exists, we recognise it, and we will face it head on and address it. We would do that for any other section of society that faces disadvantage, and I have highlighted examples of disadvantage that may exist. Where no disadvantage is highlighted or is supported by evidence, nothing needs to be done, but there is disadvantage, and the greatest message that Members can send out, if they are truly for tackling and addressing disadvantage, is to support the motion. I know that they will not do that, but they could at least abstain.

714 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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