Support for the Veterans and Armed Forces Community 2025

Minister for Veterans Foreword

I am pleased to present the Scottish Government’s ninth Annual Update to Parliament on our support for the veterans and Armed Forces community in Scotland. This report reflects our continued commitment to ensuring that those who have served our country are recognised, valued, and supported in civilian life.

Over the past year, we have made significant progress across a wide range of policy areas. From health and housing to education, employment, and social security, our work has been shaped by collaboration—with veterans themselves, with charities and third sector organisations, and with colleagues across local and national government.

This year marked the 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day, and I was proud that the Scottish Government was once again able to support commemorative events across the country, including the national VE Day Concert at the Usher Hall, and to recognise the anniversary of VE Day in an engaging and thought provoking debate in Parliament. These moments of reflection remind us of the enduring legacy of service and sacrifice we have been given, and of our responsibility to honour it through action.

We are building upon our knowledge of the veteran population in Scotland following the publication of additional census data allowing us to better understand veterans’ demographic characteristics and explore key differences between the veteran and non-veteran population. This information will prove vital as we look to ensure that Scotland continues to be the destination of choice for service leavers.

Supporting underrepresented groups within the veterans' community has remained a priority. We continue to fund Fighting with Pride’s work to support LGBT+ veterans across Scotland through our Scottish Veterans Fund. As part of our funding to Veterans Scotland to carry out their coordination role across the Veterans Third Sector, we have asked them to consider how better to include Female veterans and recognise the different experiences they may have had in service. It is vital that no one should feel unwilling or unable to come forward for the support they are eligible for and may need.

I am pleased that we have been able to launch a new funding round for the Scottish Veterans Fund this October and to confirm funding for it over the next three years. This is a great opportunity for us and organisations across the country to work together to build on the positive outcomes that this vital funding stream supports.

I was delighted to receive the Scottish Veterans Commissioners progress report this year which showed continuing advances, particularly in the areas of Health and Housing. The new Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway is due to launch next year and will build upon the already excellent support available in this area. Similarly, the new Housing (Scotland) Bill was passed by Parliament this year and will, along with vital partnership working with our stakeholders, help us support our veterans in their times of need.

This year has also seen the publication of a new UK Veterans Strategy which I was happy to endorse on behalf of the Scottish Government. The new strategy is centred around three strategic themes of: Celebrate, Contribute and Support. The publication of this strategy gives us the perfect opportunity to review our own current Scottish Action Plan and consider how we might revise this going forward to ensure that Scotland continues be the destination of choice for our service leavers.

This report sets out the breadth of work undertaken over the past year and demonstrates our unwavering commitment to ensuring that veterans and their families suffer no disadvantage as a result of their service. I would like to thank all those who have contributed to this work—our partners in the public, private and third sectors, and the many individuals who work tirelessly to support our Armed Forces community.

Together, we will continue to build a Scotland that recognises the contribution of our veterans and ensures they are supported to lead healthy, fulfilling lives.

Graeme Dey, Minister for Veterans