Veterans Affairs committee  Is the model you describe for veterans or for serving personnel?

Veterans Affairs committee  The nearest we would have to it would be the teams I've described to you. From your description it sounds as if there may be some similarities to what we're trying to do here in the UK—bringing together the clinicians and the wider carers within that community who may be able to help.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes. There are several stages to this. There is the work that the Ministry of Defence will do with the individual as they are coming to discharge from the armed forces. There will be a lead-up to that discharge, which will help them with re-skilling, if appropriate. Certainly if they have been injured there are the recovery centres, and lots of other training goes on that will help with that transition back into civilian life.

Veterans Affairs committee  We do have a similar system to that. As part of that transition process from the services back to civilian life, the Ministry of Defence does work with an organization called Remploy. They work with other agencies as well so that veterans can be placed into employment upon departure.

Veterans Affairs committee  Nobody's perfect, sir.

Veterans Affairs committee  Shall I leave now?

Veterans Affairs committee  My understanding of this, again, is slightly without my immediate range of experience. My understanding is that where there is a dispute, as you describe, they can take that up with the Service Personnel & Veterans Agency. Also there are pension boards—I may not have the correct terminology there.

Veterans Affairs committee  Yes, we have similar challenges over the numbers, with regard to mental health. There are a number of programs that are being run in the wider sphere of mental health care, including the IAPT, or improving access to psychological therapies program. A number of initiatives have been taken forward for the wider population.

Veterans Affairs committee  There is a mixed community there. The teams that I mentioned earlier have set themselves up in a slightly different ways. There are some teams that have recognized the impact of mental health problems on veterans' families, and they give their services not just to the veteran but also to the wider family unit.

Veterans Affairs committee  As far as I'm aware, we do not provide any financial assistance for those other expenditures. Your minister met with ours, I think about 18 months back, and this was one of the issues raised. That wider expenditure for provision for veterans, which I know you provide in Canada, is not replicated here.

Veterans Affairs committee  That's certainly the aim across the population, where we look to ensure, wherever possible, people are able to stay at home and receive care at home. With veterans, there's an element where veterans will perhaps use some of their compensation as part of that care at home. The vast majority will be through the statutory authorities.

Veterans Affairs committee  No, there's no specific service in that respect, just the wider services that would normally be made available to the public.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm afraid I'm unable to answer that question. I don't wish to be unhelpful, but the detail around armed forces compensation payment is very much a Ministry of Defence issue and they would have consulted at that time, so I'm not in a position to comment on the reasons behind the increase.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm unable to answer that question. I would need to refer to the Ministry of Defence; my apologies.

Veterans Affairs committee  I'm not sure what you base those figures on. Within the Department of Health, as I explained, National Health Service England have a responsibility for about 4.5 million veterans in total. Obviously there are fewer, fortunately, who are seriously injured or have mental health problems, so the number of those is that much smaller.