Current status: Answered by Graeme Dey on 10 March 2026
To ask the Scottish Government what further action it is taking to strengthen support for the Armed Forces community in Scotland, particularly in relation to healthcare access, housing provision, education, childcare and upholding the Armed Forces Covenant.
The Scottish Government’s ninth annual update on support for Scotland’s veterans and armed forces community was presented to Parliament on 9 December 2025. It provides a comprehensive picture of the work undertaken to date but I would like to take this opportunity to draw attention to some specific work that is making a real impact across our armed forces community.
The Scottish Government's stakeholder group – the Scottish Armed Forces Education Support Group (SAFESG) – works collaboratively to mitigate and address issues affecting Service children. In this way they help to improve the experience of Service children and their families in Scottish schools.
There has been particular engagement with Moray Council, to understand availability of childcare in the rural area around RAF Lossiemouth, including the impact this has on the ability to attract and retain service personnel.
Work is also ongoing in relation to housing including updating the housing guide for service leavers on the Scottish Government website and working with the Scottish Veterans Housing Group on the top priorities for the veterans’ homelessness prevention pathway.
The Scottish Government is developing an Armed Forces Covenant Framework which translates Covenant principles into practical actions for NHS Boards, ensuring the Duty is embedded in everyday practice. It provides a clear but flexible structure to help Boards support the Armed Forces Community, prevent disadvantage in access to healthcare, and set consistent national expectations. The Framework clarifies Board responsibilities, strengthens local partnerships, and supports quality improvement through better recording, monitoring and evaluation. Its overall aim is to improve outcomes for the Armed Forces Community by ensuring timely, equitable and person centred care across Scotland. In parallel, work is ongoing to develop the Veterans Mental Health & Wellbeing Pathway across Scotland. Working with veterans, the third sector and statutory services, the core aim of the pathway is to ensure that every veteran living in Scotland can access timely, effective and compassionate mental health and wellbeing support. The pathway is projected to be stood up on a phased basis in financial year 2026-2027. Our aspiration is that, by improving accessibility to mental health and wellbeing services for all veterans, they will receive the most appropriate type of support for their needs.
Later this year the Scottish Government will review its 2022 Action Plan with a view to ensuring strong support for the armed forces community in Scotland, taking account of the new UK Veterans’ Strategy and with, at its heart, consistent application of the Armed Forces covenant.