The Minister for Defence People and Veterans, Leo Docherty, endorsed the VAPCs’ new supplementary Terms of Reference, enabling VAPC members to represent all veterans and their families in their region.
The Minister’s letter of 15 November 2021 to Johnny Lighten MBE, the Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees’ (VAPC) “Chair of Chairs”, stated:
“Thank you for inviting me to your conference [of VAPC Chairs] on 26 October [2021]. I found it most interesting and I left feeling really enthused and with a greater awareness of the role that the VAPCs play in supporting veterans.
“I know that there has been much activity over the last 12 months surrounding the introduction of the new TORs and am pleased that I have been able to play my part in agreeing these. I look forward to working closer with you as the National Chair over the next 12 months and I see your role as key in enabling the VAPCs to move forward together in supporting our Veterans.
“I believe that these TORs will enable the VAPCs to deliver a structured contribution to better understanding the support the whole of the veteran’s ‘family’ are receiving in your regions. I hope you now feel that you now have a real opportunity to assist in shaping and informing the strategy for our veterans and to provide a regional picture of successful delivery of the soon to be announced Veteran Strategy Action Plan.
“I look forward to reading your first report in May 2022 and again in November 2022 after which, further discussion can take place regarding potentially formalising your broader role in Statute. I am pleased to say that I have now signed your new TORs and a copy of these are enclosed.”
These Terms of Reference (TORs) reflect the fact that the VAPCs, given their independent and regional set-up, aim to make a useful contribution to the Government’s drive to make the UK the best place in the world to be a veteran.
The TORs have 2 principal purposes:
- To set out the activities that members of VAPCs, as individuals and as members of informal regional groups, are asked to carry out relating to all veterans and their families.
- To provide direction relating to their performance for an initial period of 12 months beginning from the date these TORs are agreed.
