Elfyn Llwyd MP will meet with British Legion Officers in Llanelli to discuss support for servicepeople

Dr. Myfanwy Davies, Plaid’s parliamentary candidate for Llanelli, has invited Elfyn Llwyd MP for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy and leader of Plaid’s Parliamentary Party to meet with representatives of the Royal Britsh Legion in Llanelli on Friday 6th March.

The meeting will take place at 2pm in room 4 in the Town Hall. Aerona Stupe, the regional director of the Royal British Legion is expected to be present, along with the chair and officers of the Llanelli branch.

Mr. Llwyd has recently raised concerns about the support provided to service people during and after their time in the forces.

Following a number of cases of ex-servicemen convicted of criminal offences in Wales, Mr. Llwyd tried to obtain figures on the number of ex-service people in prison and received an unsatisfactory reply. He then contacted the National Association of Probation Officers (NAPO) to conduct a survey of its members. Evidence unearthed by the survey indicates that thousands of former armed services personnel who served either in the Gulf or Afghanistan have been convicted of criminal offences and sentenced to a term of imprisonment following discharge from the army*. The results have caused real concern as they suggest that as many as 8,500 former soldiers are currently in custody in the UK - almost 10% of the prison population for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland - with over 7000 of those in custody in England and Wales. The case histories show that the majority of ex-soldiers suffered at some stage or another from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and that very few had received any counselling or support at any time after their discharge from the Army.

Elfyn Llwyd who has previously campaigned on Gulf War Syndrome, succeeded in obtaining a debate on support for service people during and after service. As a result of the Westminster Hall debate on 21st of October 2008 , extra psychologists have been sent out to Afghanistan and Iraq and the Government are looking into ways to care for veterans once they return home.

Mr Llwyd said:

"Having come across several incidents where members of the armed forces were committing offences which really were a cry for help, I tabled a parliamentary question which gave a somewhat innocuous answer. I wasn't happy with that because I have witnessed ex-servicemen being sentenced for serious assaults in courts in North Wales and these offences were occurring with worrying regularity.

If this is a matter of resources, then that will not wash**. At a time when serving soldiers must make do with inferior kit, failure to act on the problem will be seen as further evidence that the Government has breached the covenant with the armed services in the most serious way.

Speaking from her office in Llanelli on Tuesday Myfanwy Davies said:

“It is deeply worrying that at a time when the armed forces are recruiting very actively from our communities, they have not been offering the most basic support needed by young men and women who have undertaken this difficult, dangerous and often traumatic task. If proper treatment had been available for these disturbed servicemen, I am convinced that 100s if not 1000s would not have offended. The government is letting them and their families down very badly indeed.

“Elfyn’s work in pursuing this issue and obtaining more psychological support has drawn wide acclaim and I am very pleased that he is coming to Llanelli to meet with representatives of the British Legion.”