Danny Kinahan resigns: Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner may have felt he had no choice after MOD closed key NI veterans support organisation, says veterans campaigner

Mr Kinahan, a former Ulster Unionist MP who served as a captain in the Blues and Royals Regiment, was appointed to the role in 2020.

In a statement tonight Mr Kinahan said: “Following an open and frank conversation with the Secretary of State, I have sadly concluded that I cannot provide the independent voice that veterans require.

“There is a feeling among some veterans in Northern Ireland that they have been forgotten and that they do not enjoy the same protections as their counterparts in Great Britain.

“Veterans in Northern Ireland have particular needs and concerns which need to be addressed by the UK Government, which I have made very clear in our discussions."

CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING ARMED FORCES COVENANT IN NORTHERN IRELAND

It is understood part of his concerns are likely to apply to the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in NI.

The covenant is a promise by the UK to ensure that those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces, and their families, are treated fairly.

The News Letter has previously reported that implementing the Armed Forces Covenant in NI is fraught with challenges because republicans challenge special allowances for veterans on grounds of equality and discrimination.

Another major factor in securing covenant care for veterans in NI is that so many veterans refuse to identity as veterans to statutory agencies, due to ongoing personal security concerns.

The result is that many armed forces veterans in NI struggle to avail of services easily accessed by counterparts in GB.

This is despite the fact that fact that so many retired NI service personnel – who may suffer with PTSD and other issues – still live in close proximity to republican terror groups that still wish to kill them.

CLOSURE OF KEY VETERANS SUPPORT GROUP IN NI BY MOD

Robert McCartney, chairman of Ards veterans charity Beyond the Battlefield, noted that Mr Kinahan was the only UK Veteran's Commissioner to have been given a part-time post - despite the unique challenges facing veterans in Northern Ireland.

By contrast, he said, in England, Scotland and Wales all Veterans Commissioners had been given full-time posts, despite having apparently much less challenging roles.

However, Mr McCartney believes that the final straw for Mr Kinahan may have been a decision by the MOD to close down a key NI-based organisation this month which had been established specifically to implement the covenant in Northern Ireland - the NI Veterans Support Office (NIVSO).

NIVSO was established by government to deliver the Armed Forces Covenant in NI, by developing links between Stormont departments, Local Government Veterans’ Champions and the voluntary and charitable sector.

Although unreported by the media, the organisation had emailed all the organisations it supported in NI to say that after a review by the MOD, it was to close down by this month, September.

Mr Kinahan had worked very closely with the NIVSO on the ground in NI, however its responsibilities are now being managed directly by the MOD in London.

Mr McCartney said: “What I can say is that we got notice in March that the Northern Ireland Veterans Support Office was closing. And that was a key organization or platform that Danny worked with and worked from - he was viewed as a figurehead for it.

"And since that office closed, the MOD’s Office of Veterans Affairs (OVA) in London has taken control of the responsibilities that the NIVSO had in Northern Ireland.

"So it would seem very plausible that Danny has tendered his resignation because he effectively has lost this added supportive structure for his work as commissioner that the NIVSO."

Mr McCartney said the closure of the NIVSO in Northern Ireland was a dramatic change in veterans provision, and that it has gone unreported – but caused significant disruption in the sector.

The decision to close it had been taken by the MOD after a formal review of NIVSO’s operations, he said.

Its responsibilities are now being managed from London by the MOD’s OVA.

He added that his organisation, Beyond the Battlefield, never received any funding from NIVSO and found little support from it. By contrast, he said the support he was receiving from the OVA in London so far was "amazing".

NIVSO ADVISED VETERANS GROUPS THAT MOD WAS CLOSING IT

The NIVSO sent an email to all veterans groups across Northern Ireland on 19 March announcing it was to close, after a review by the MOD and OVA.

NIVSO Head Veterans' Support Office, Liz Brown, said in the email: "As you may know, the Independent Review of UK Government Welfare Services for Veterans, jointly commissioned by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Office for Veterans Affairs (OVA) and conducted in July of last year, recommended that the role and activities of the NIVSO should move into the OVA in order to continue to operate in Northern Ireland as the OVA’s regional presence."

She added: “Over the past few months we have been working with the OVA to plan this transition as seamlessly as possible to ensure continuity of service provision.

"However, on deeper consideration, the OVA has determined that it is unable to assume responsibility for the NIVSO and regrettably the very difficult decision has been taken to close the NIVSO office from the end of September 2024, at which time responsibility for the further development of veteran support across Northern Ireland will pass to the OVA.”

Mr McCartney said another possible reason for Mr Kinahan offering his resignation was that while his boss, Veterans Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer, had a seat at the cabinet table under the Tory government, but that under Labour the position – now held by Alistair Cairns – has been demoted from the cabinet. The result is that Mr Kinahan may feel he also has less support than previously, he suggested.

The News Letter spoke to a wide range of people in the veterans sector today.

None of them were aware that Mr Kinahan had tendered his resignation in recent days – potentially as early as Friday last week.

WHAT DO THE MOD AND NIO SAY?

The News Letter invited the MOD and NIO to respond to all the above information today (Thursday).

The MOD responded on Thursday afternoon that the NIO would issue a statement.

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Hilary Benn, issued a statement on Thursday night which did not appear to address any of the issues raised by the News Letter.

He said: “I would like to thank Danny Kinahan for his dedicated work on behalf of veterans and families living in Northern Ireland.

"Over the last four years, he has worked on a range of important issues that affect veterans in everyday life, including health, housing and welfare and we will continue to engage with him on these issues.

“We are committed to continuing to support veterans in Northern Ireland through the Veterans Welfare Service NI and the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust.”

The NIO added that it would set out next steps for the appointment of a new Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner in due course.