It has been revealed that just 2.7% of veterans in Blaenau Gwent have received Government ID cards to help them access the services they need, with just 59 veterans ID cards being rolled out to 2139 total veterans.

Blaenau Gwent MP Nick Smith said: “Until the Veterans ID card was created, veterans had no easy way of proving they had served. The idea was to give all veterans a quick and simple way to confirm their service to the NHS, the local authority and charities, enabling them to access support with health, housing and more.
“However, since the Government promised to provide every veteran in the UK with a card in 2019, just 56,000 ID cards have been issued – that’s 3% of veterans.
“This is nowhere near good enough. At the current rate of delivery, it will take 125 years to give every veteran a card.”

In December, Veterans’ Minister Johnny Mercer promised to roll out all remaining ID cards by this summer. To keep his promise, 1.7 million cards will need to be delivered in the next three months.

Nick Smith MP said: “The Conservatives are failing veterans here in Blaenau Gwent and across the UK. Ministers make big promises about the support they will deliver but it’s all talk.
“This is why Labour has launched its Labour’s Veterans’ Voice campaign, to listen to veterans and their families and better inform future policy.”

Members of the Armed Forces can register their interest in being part of the Veterans Voice campaign by following this link: https://labour.org.uk/veterans-voice-events/

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