Guidance

VAPC London: meeting minutes 22 March 2023

Updated 22 March 2024

Venue: Barclays Rise, 41 Luke Street, London EC2A 4DP with some members joining using Microsoft Teams

Time: 4pm to 5pm

Present

• Robin Herzberg (FRH) – Interim Chairman
• Jim Blake (JB)
• Bishnu Gurung (BG)
• Caroline Flynn Macleod (CFM)
• Carl Stephen Patrick Hunter OBE (CH)
• Larry Stone (LS)
• Alex Woolgar-Toms (AWT)
• Frances Luczyc Wyhowska (FLW)

Apologies

• Annabel Goulding (AG)
• Nick Mazzei (NM)
• Wendy Morris (WM)
• Matthew Neave (MN)
• Charles Perrett (CP)
• Alpa Raja (AR)
• Brian Willmore (BW)

Welcome

The interim chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence

It was noted that AG, NM, WM, MN, CP, AR and BW had been unable to attend

Minutes of 14 December 2022 meeting

The minutes, which had been circulated, were approved and were ready to be sent to the Ministry of Defence for publication.

Action: FRH

Matters arising

There were no matters arising.

London VAPC report to the minister

FRH reported that, so far, there had been no formal response from the minister in relation to the London VAPC report submitted on 29 September 2022. Members of the committee indicated that it would be helpful to receive a response to inform the next report.

Private Members Bill

CFM reported that the second reading of the Private Members Bill to increase the responsibilities of veterans to cover all aspects of veteran welfare took place on 24 February 2023. The committee stage took place on 17 March 2023. It will now progress for a third reading in the House of Commons. Lord Lancaster will sponsor it through the House of Lords.

It was noted that much of the credit for the progress of the bill was due to the efforts of Sir Bill Charles and CFM and the strong support of Robin Millar MP and others. Members thanked CFM for her continuing work in this regard.

Report from Mark Thompson

FRH reported that Mark Thompson, a two-star civil servant from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has completed his review into the effectiveness of VAPCs. A draft of his report was issued on 3 March 2023. Mark’s main conclusion was that the VAPCs do not have a clear purpose. He concludes that VAPCs could deliver views from an independent, regional perspective, but to do so will require significant changes to their direction, governance, sponsorship and accountability and he makes recommendations in that regard. He says that, if there is no appetite for such change, then the VAPCs should be wound down.

Members noted that, in the context of the good news on the progress of the Private Members Bill through Parliament, it was important that Mark Thompson’s recommendations be addressed. Members also stressed the importance of VAPCs remaining independent.

AW-T noted that it remained challenging for VAPCs to undertake their role without resource and noted the presence of various other advisers in the field including the Veterans Advisory Board.

Strategy Development

LS reported that Stewart Blackburn, chair of the Eastern VAPC, had been tasked with developing a strategy document across all VAPCs. He had assembled a strategy group with representatives from each region (LS is representing the London VAPC). The group has undertaken an initial assessment of the current situation within each region to identify aspirations and values for the next two-year period. The group has also been working to analyse the inputs and draft a final mission, vision, and values statement and from this to build the outline of a strategy for delivery against the agreed vision. A meeting will be held in Birmingham on 31 March, at which the strategy group and VAPC chairs would be present, to discuss the output of this work.

Members agreed that strategic issues to be considered going forward included the size and diversity of the membership of VAPCs.

Members thanked LS for his continuing work in this regard.

Action: FRH and LS

Ministerial Priorities

FRH reported that at a meeting in London in December 2022, officials had identified the following ministerial priorities: (i) How local Armed Forces charities are operating and what impact they are making, including with statutory providers and with one another. (ii) Understanding the level of awareness of Covenant and the Armed Forces Community at the local and regional level, in particular among those captured by the new Covenant Duty.

FLW noted that during various visits to charities across London, the following issues had been identified (i) ensuring compensation claims were processed on a timely basis (ii) reducing the waiting lists for candidates seeking mental health support under Operation Courage.

Members also considered that it was important that VAPCs should retain the flexibility to make suggestions outside the areas of ministerial priorities.

Performance Data

FRH reported on an online meeting on 27 January 2023 to discuss the data relating to the War Pensions Scheme (WPS) and the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS). WPS relates to injury, illness, or death before 6 April 2005 and AFCS relates to injury, illness or death after that date. It was noted that officials were concerned that the number of AFCS cases on hand was close to the “tolerance” or maximum capacity of the team.

Members stressed the importance of ensuring the team at Norcross had adequate resources to progress the claims on hand.

FLW suggested that the call handling system at Norcross be streamlined to prioritise distressed and potentially suicidal callers.

BG stressed the importance of monitoring performance on the WPS scheme as well as the AFCS scheme.

AW-T observed that it should be possible to report richer data e.g. the number of times claims had to pass a particular gateway. He also offered to represent the London VAPC on future calls to discuss performance data.

Action: AW-T

Reports from the teams

FRH reported on the meeting of the national subcommittee on employment and transitioning on 11 January 2023 at which representatives from the Dutch Embassy and Dutch Ministry of Defence had given a presentation.

Several practices in use in the Netherlands had been identified which members of the VAPC present had considered for recommendations in the U.K. and / or be used to benchmark best practice. It was noted that the Dutch Ministry of Defence maintain a database of veterans: they are able to do this without breaching the European Data Protection Regulation, which the UK’s General Data Protection Regulation replicates. This allows (i) officials to communicate with veterans about matters that might, without personal communication, cause them immense distress in the future and (ii) members of the Royal family, ministers, and local mayors to communicate with veterans to continue to show appreciation for their service for the rest of their lives.

Members considered that at the very least regiments should be encouraged to maintain such databases on the basis that they have a “legitimate interest” (an exemption under the regulation) in so doing.

FRH observed that there would always be practical difficulties in compiling such databases. e.g. veterans who are not pensioners and whose contact details were no longer retained. JB observed that there would also be apprentices who had served only for a few days and whose contact details had not been retained.

FLW reported on her recent visits to local charities including her visit, accompanied by FRH, to the Service Drop-in Centre at St Pancras Hospital. Members thanked FLW for her continuing work in this regard.

Any other business

It was agreed to seek an update on Gurkha Welfare following the minister’s recent visit to Nepal.

Date of next meeting

The next meeting is scheduled for 16.00 on 21 June 2023 at Barclays Rise or by video conference.