Welfare scheme extended to all Northern Ireland veterans of UK forces: The most important event that’s happened for veterans here, says commissioner Danny Kinahan

The Veterans Commissioner for Northern Ireland Danny Kinahan attended an event at the new VWS Northern Ireland (VWS NI) headquarters in Belfast, where he cut the ribbon to formally open the building and officially launch VWS NI.

As part of the New Decade, New Approach (NDNA) Agreement, the UK government committed to a number of veterans-related initiatives, including a study into the expansion of the UDR & Royal Irish Aftercare Service to cover all UK armed forces veterans within Northern Ireland.

The VWS NI provides free support to veterans, their families, service leavers, and bereaved families of service personnel in Northern Ireland. The VWS support includes a helpline, Defence Transition Services, and injury/bereavement compensation scheme payments. Mr Kinahan said the extended welfare scheme would benefit 90-120,000 veterans in Northern Ireland and their families.

“Today you’re probably seeing the most important event that’s happened for veterans here in Northern Ireland, you’ve got the Veterans Welfare Service being set up to look after everybody,” he said. “So it used to just be we had an organisation that looked after the UDR and the territorials from the Royal Irish, this organisation is going to do the Royal Navy, Royal Air Force, all the other Army battalions, Royal Marines, everybody. So it’s going to be one central point to which a veteran can go to to get help and welfare, and any of the things that he might need in his life.”

Mr Kinahan said around half of veterans in Northern Ireland served during the Troubles in Operation Banner but that a significant number had been involved in more recent conflicts.

“Then you get to the more modern wars of Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. Which, they’re all horrible, but there are scars left for some people that you’ve really got to help them with,” he said. “But at the same time as also helping with the everyday things, pension, money, welfare, how you do things. So it’s a broad mix and what was needed here was something that pulled it all together.”

The new service expansion sees the continued delivery of services formerly provided by the Aftercare Service, combined with wider Veterans Welfare Service support. Additional services include funded medical provision for psychological therapy and physiotherapy for service-related ailments, non-public funded welfare support for widows, bereaved, and disabled ex-soldiers, including Respite and Remembrance activities.

The Victims Commissioner toured the VWS NI offices and spoke to the teams who deliver support to the veteran community.

There has not been a functioning Assembly or executive for more than a year due to the DUP’s ongoing boycott of powersharing institutions in protest against post-Brexit trading arrangements. Mr Kinahan said the lack of government had impacted their ability to help veterans.

“It’s impacted in many ways because we have no political system really working here and because we can’t treat a veteran as a veteran through the Good Friday Agreement, we can’t pick them out as a group. That’s where I would really struggle,” he said. “So in England, a hospital will have a veteran’s liaison system, which has all been put in place. We don’t have that here.”

He added: “Without the politicians, you haven’t got people to lobby here to help change the system.”

Mr Kinahan also said that the long waiting times in the health system in Northern Ireland posed a major challenge.

“If you are in acute pain from something that you did during Op Banner or somewhere else, you’re going into a health system here with that long, long queue,” he said. “So part of the battle is to find pathways to help those who were brave enough to put the uniform on and serve our country, and particularly here, and go through all the risks and the difficulties that they’ve gone through.

“So that means that health is the biggest one here, but this Government are listening so we’ve got to make sure the next government are listening.”

Veterans and clients of VWS NI also attended the event to share their experiences.

Margaret Ervine lost her husband Robert 31 years ago to the day of the VWS NI launch on Friday.

“He was a good man. He was a Christian man, as well as working in the UDR and the Royal Irish, he actually did driving instruction. He also was a lay preacher and we had a good life,” she said.

Rosemary Fee was one of the welfare officers who helped Ms Ervine with the death of her husband.

Ms Ervine was 39 years old and had two teenage children when her husband died, and said Ms Fee was her “light”.

“She landed on my doorstep the night my husband was killed,” she said. “She took everything out of my hands. She said ‘Margaret, I don’t want you to worry about a thing, we will sort everything out.’

“And she was down at the house every day, making sure everything was OK. Anything that I wanted done, she made sure it was done. Great support.”

Although she has been retired for 23 years, Ms Fee said she still supports a number of veterans and widows that she worked with in her time in the welfare service.

“I actually keep in touch with quite a lot of folk that I know, I would meet them and we have chats,” she said. “Or even soldiers that have come to see me for whatever reason, I still have a bit of a welfare hat on and give advice whenever it’s asked or needed.”

She added: “Margaret is just one of many over the years. I’m retired now, retired quite a long time. But that doesn’t say my welfare hat is not there, it is there. And it will still be there while I can help anyone, especially those who served.”

VWS NI would like to assure UDR and Royal Irish veterans that delivery via a local community-based welfare service for Northern Ireland will continue.