Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on mental illness and suicide among ex-servicemen and women.

Ministers from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) meet on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of issues relating to the health and wellbeing of Service personnel and veterans, including mental health and suicide.

The DHSC and MOD examine the provision of veterans' mental health services on a regular basis. Data and progress of NHS England's Veterans Mental Health Transition Intervention and Liaison Service and Complex Treatment Service is presented to the MOD/UK Departments of Health Partnership Board, Joint Commissioning Group and the Cabinet Office led Covenant Reference Group. Both services are also continually assessed by NHS England. In England, as well as these veteran specific services, veterans are able to access mainstream mental health services. The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies dataset reports annually and data indicates that over 20,000 veterans are utilising this avenue with very positive outcomes, often better than the general population.

In England, the National Health Service has announced that an extra £10 million will be invested into a new NHS dedicated crisis service that will expand the current bespoke veteran mental health services and provide intensive support to veterans battling alcohol, drugs and mental health problems, capturing those individuals nearing crisis. The extra funding will also enable a roll out of veteran-friendly general practitioner surgeries and hospitals as part of efforts to make sure those who have served their country get the specialist help they deserve in every part of the health service.

Any suicide is one too many and a tragedy for the individual, and their family and friends. The MOD has commissioned a new study to investigate causes of death, including suicide, amongst all those who served in the UK Armed Forces between 2001 and 2014, covering operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This will include personnel who are still in service, and personnel who have now transitioned into civilian life. Previous studies conducted by MOD have shown that the suicide rates for veterans of the 1982 Falklands Campaign and 1990-91 Gulf Conflict were lower than comparative rates in the civilian population.