Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society: Combat Stress

Willie Rennie
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much funding has been provided from the public purse to the Ex-Services Mental Welfare Society (Combat Stress) in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg
[holding answer 7 December 2006]: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my predecessor on 2 June 2006, Official Report, column 37W, which includes funds from the MOD and Scottish Health Board, to the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon).

The funding provided by MOD to the Ex-Service Mental Welfare Society in each of the last five years is detailed in the following table. Funds are provided through the War Pensions scheme‘s discretionary power to meet the cost of any necessary expenses in respect of medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of ex-members of the armed forces that arise wholly or mainly as a result of disablement due to service before 6 April 2005 where it is not provided for under other UK legislation. This includes the individual costs of war pensioners undergoing “remedial treatment” at homes run by Combat Stress for conditions related to their individual pensioned disablement and of related expenses such as travel costs. Combat Stress receives separate funding from the Scottish Health Board for war pensioners’ treatment at Hollybush House.

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|       |£ million|
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|2001-02|1.2      |
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|2002-03|1.5      |
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|2003-04|1.6      |
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|2004-05|2        |
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|2005-06|2.3      |
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