UK Age

Veterans are being “stitched up” by the Government’s failure to enshrine the military compact in law, a leading military policeman has said.

Elfyn Llwyd, plaid Cymru City of Westminster leader, will table a series of amendment to the Armed military unit bill designed to challenge the Government over its committedness to the covenant.

It cum after royal British host director general Chris Simpkins told system of macrophages that military personnel found it “pretty depressing” that the covenant was not included in the current Bill, despite the promise made by prime rector David Cameron on board HMS Ark royal in June last year.

Mr Llwyd said. “It is politician who place these brave military force in injury fashion We owe them a duty to ensure their well-being upon their income tax tax return home. Anything else is a breach of the military covenant.”

He added he had been excluded from the committee stage of the Bill, saying it “smacks of a stitch-up - in the same way as this toothless clause is sewing up veterans”.

Figures showed last year that there were twice as many veteran soldier in prison house than Brits military personnel in Afghanistan, he said.

Research by the probation trade union Napo in 2009 showed at least 6% of those on probation, word or in slammer were former members of the armed services But other estimates vary and there is no mandatory duty on the police, probation or prison service to identify veterans.

Harry Fletcher, Napo’s supporter general secretary, said. “If members of the armed services are good enough to endangerment their life and safety for Government then they must be good enough to receive proper assistance, counsel and counseling on their income tax return to civilian life.

“Successive regime have said they would restore the military compact which would ensure the welfare demand of former soldiers were paramount. It has not happened.

“The Armed military unit bill is an excellent opportunity to introduce measurement on a statutory terms to minimise the chances of former armed services personnel termination up in the criminal justice system, with mental health problems or becoming homeless.”

Cash confiscated from a Brits engineering firm that paid illegal kickback to Saddam Hussein’s authorities is to be handed back to the people of Iraq.

About £1.5 million of the total £13.9 million will support water development and other humanitarian programmes, including a donation to the new Linda Norgrove Foundation, the Scottish Government announced.

The money was handed over by the Glasgow-based weir Group, which was also fined £3 million at the High Court in Edinburgh last December for breaching United Nations warrant imposed on Al-Iraq before the 2003 invasion.

The International allocation will be split, with £300,000 for water development in Al-Iraq and £1 million for Scots NGOs to work with Republic of Al-Iraq partners.

The Republic of Al-Iraq Youth orchestra will be given £100,000 to tour the Edinburgh Festival, in association with the Brits Council, and £100,000 will be donated to the Linda Norgrove foundation for do-gooder work in Afghanistan.

Ms Norgrove died in October during a US military-led rescue missionary post to free her from her afghan captors. Her parents, John and Lorna, welcomed the money, which has helped their foundation to depository financial institution more than £270,000 so far.

In a statement they said: “We are determined to put this money to good use and to ensure that our costs are kept to a bare lower limit so that cash in hand get through to the people on the ground.”

Scottish external personal matters minister Fiona Hyslop said: “A top priority is support for water projects in Irak We are working with the United body politic to develop proposal that will tackle water development based on the needs identified in the country. Scotland has always been a responsible land and our distinctive approach to international development has made a difference to some of the most vulnerable people in the world.”

Mark Chadwick, of the Edinburgh-based mercifulness Corps, said: “It’s particularly welcome at a time when the continuing do-gooder demand of Iraqi appear to be slipping off the international schedule We know from our work on the ground that the people of Al-Iraq still need a great deal of help and there’s a lot yet to be done to improve their government ability to deliver necessary public services in an efficient and transparent way.”

The residual of the money, totalling about £12.4 million, will be used to monetary fund community project in Scotland.