Armed Forces Covenant

Lord Beamish Excerpts

Monday 16th May 2011 Commons Chamber

[Conor Burns (Bournemouth West) (Con)]

It is generally accepted that more members of the Falklands campaign committed suicide after that campaign—

[Mr Kevan Jones (North Durham) (Lab)]

Not true.

[Conor Burns]

Or may have committed suicide after that campaign than died in active service. Has my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State—[Interruption.] These are very serious matters. Has my right hon. Friend had time to see the figures from Combat Stress indicating that further to our activities in Iraq and Afghanistan, some 48,000 veterans may suffer from some form of mental health problem in the years ahead? May I say that his commitment today that the unseen scars of war will be treated as seriously as the physical ones is to be warmly welcomed?