Lisburn veterans take to the streets to march for justice

Lagan Valley MLA Jenny Palmer and MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson joined the march through the city centre,

“I was delighted to meet with the ‘Justice for Veterans’ Group together with my colleague Brenda Hale MLA and to take part in their recent march in Lisburn,” said Sir Jeffrey. “The veterans that I met have genuine concerns about the need to improve the level of welfare support and treatment available to those who served in our armed forces and who suffer from physical or mental illness, including PTSD. It is true that Northern Ireland has a much higher rate of illness linked to mental health amongst veterans and this is due to the fact that Operation Banner was the longest running military operation in the history of the British Army, with tens of thousands of men and women serving here in very difficult and often traumatic circumstances. It is essential that additional support services are put in place for our veterans, including a dedicated contact centre, enhanced treatment services for mental health and full implementation of the Military Covenant in Northern Ireland. We are committed to working with this Group and with others to ensure that our Veterans receive the support that they need and that Northern Ireland has an enhanced welfare support system in place for all Veterans here.”