Minister silent as MP blasts government over ‘failing local veterans’

A report revealed that in Rotherham just 128 veterans ID cards have been rolled out to a possible 8,212 total veterans and in Barnsley 190 have been distributed out of a possible 8,381 – it is 1.5% and 2% in the two towns, respectively.

In December, Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer promised to roll out all remaining ID cards by this summer.

However, an analysis conducted by the Labour Party also showed that at the current rate of delivery, it will take more than a century to give every veteran a card.

John Healey (Labour, Wentworth and Dearne MP), the Shadow Secretary of State for Defence, said: “It’s clear that the Government is letting down veterans across our area and across the country. Ministers have been making sweeping promises but they fail to deliver when it’s needed.

“The aim of the veterans’ ID card is to help our society to keep its promise to those who serve by providing quick access to services like healthcare and housing. But only a small fraction of these cards have been provided.

“Our veterans don’t need empty promises, they need action. That’s why Labour has launched its Veterans’ Voice campaign to hear directly from former personnel and their families and put their lived experiences at the heart of our future policy offer.”

It is widely reported that the Government promised to provide every veteran in the UK with a card in 2019, designed to provide speedy access to health, housing and charity services.

But figures from the ONS confirm there are more than 1.8 million veterans in England and Wales, and just 65,700 ID cards have been given out since 2018, meaning only 3.6% of veterans have been given a card in five years.

Mr Mercer was approached for a comment and asked why the numbers in Rotherham and Barnsley were so low, and whether he could keep his promise and roll out the ID cards to all veterans by the summer, but he failed to reply.