Public Policy eNews - 18 June 2008

Welcome to the third edition of the Legion’s policy eNewsletter. We hope you find this a useful source of updates on government policy, Legion campaigning and welfare benefit developments. If you know anyone else who would like to receive it, they can subscribe at here.

The Legion at Work

Become a Legion campaigner
The Legion is looking for members and supporters to get involved in campaigning issues. Many politicians only sit up and listen if large numbers of people get in touch with them. We found that out recently when an MP told the Legion that he had been inundated with letters about animal welfare issues, and so he focused much of his attention on the subject in the Commons.

Those who are serving in the Armed Forces cannot freely speak out about their problems. So it is up to us to do so on their behalf. If you would like to get involved you can sign up here and we will be in touch to tell you how you can help.

New Legion campaign – A Return to Rationing?
Following up on the success of Honour the Covenant, this summer will see the Legion launch a new campaign in partnership with Age Concern. Titled A Return to Rationing? it will be launched in July, the month that 54 years ago saw the official end of rationing. The campaign will highlight the poverty experienced today by many older veterans who lived through WWII and the subsequent rationing. We hope to bring this issue to the attention of the Government and will suggest a number of possible ways for them to improve matters.

Please keep an eye on the Legion website and magazine over the coming weeks for more information and ways for you to get involved.

Ex-Services homelessness reduced in London but work still to be done
The Centre for Housing Policy at the University of York has completed research on the extent of homelessness amongst veterans in London. The research was commissioned by the Ex-Services Action Group on Homelessness (ESAG), of which the Legion is a member, and is titled The Experiences of Homeless ex-Service Personnel in London.

The Legion is encouraged by the report, which suggests that over the last decade there has been a substantial reduction in the proportion of single homeless veterans in London. The research indicates that this improvement can be attributed to a number of factors including the hard work and dedication of the members of ESAG.

However, it is not all good news. Despite a reduction in numbers, the number of veterans who are homeless in London is still thought to be significant. The researchers have estimated that there are around 1,100 single homeless veterans living in hostels or sleeping rough in London each night. The report makes a number of recommendations for reducing the risk of homelessness, including enhancing resettlement and improving the knowledge of ex-Service charity work amongst mainstream homelessness organisations. Read the full report and ESAG comments here.

Policy Update

Inheritance tax loophole for families of Armed Forces members
Families of Armed Forces members who died from a condition related to their active service are able to claim exemption from inheritance tax. This not only covers personnel who died in-action but also those that died years later from an injury or condition related to their military service. Further information is available here.

Porton Down volunteers - final closing date for claims - 30 June 2008
The Legion has received important information from the Ministry of Defence (MOD) regarding the successful legal claims made against them, following illness or injury, caused by the exposure of volunteers to various trials at Porton Down. A financial settlement has been agreed for all those volunteers who were on the original list of claimants but more are now coming forward. It has been agreed to reopen the claim file for a short period, to enable those who were unaware of the procedure to make their claims. This opportunity closes, finally, on 30 June 2008. Potential claimants should note that participation in a trial is not sufficient in itself to receive compensation; there must be some injury or illness resulting from this exposure for an award to be made.

Those wishing to claim should contact the legal teams involved as soon as possible, the details are: Leigh Day and Co (Tel: 0207 650 1200) or Thomson, Snell and Passmore (Tel: 01322 623700).

If anyone would like to discuss this issue with the Legions’ Pensions and Benefits department, then please telephone either David Mayhew on 0207 973 7215 or James Bond on 0207 973 7236.

Extra boost for carers

The Government has announced a further £255 million to support the 5.2 million carers across England and Wales. The extra investment will be used to expand short breaks for carers, support carers to re-enter the job market, pilot annual health checks for carers and train GPs to recognise the role that carers play and the pressures it puts on carers' own health. The demand for care is expected to rise with the number of people aged over 85, those most in need of care, rising by over 50% in the next ten years.

The announcement followed the release of a new report on care and caring from the ippr think tank, part-sponsored by the Legion. The report Just Care? recommends that social care services should focus on a set of outcomes for all adults with care needs, such as quality of life, dignity and equality, rather than concentrating on resources. The report also recommends the introduction of a personal budget for carers who care intensively, to allow them to buy whatever they need to fulfil their caring role. The Legion will consider these and other recent findings on carers' needs in order to identify what the Government can do to further improve the lives of carers, in particular those over retirement age. The Legion will also look at how people with caring responsibilities working for the Legion could be better supported.

PCTs to provide more mental health services
32 Primary Care Trusts across England will receive a share of £33 million to help provide talking therapies for local people experiencing depression and anxiety disorders, as part of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. Over the next three years 3,600 extra therapists will be trained to offer treatment to 900,000 people, cutting waiting times and helping to reduce the stigma associated with mental health problems. The Legion is working with the Department of Health to make sure these services are able and equipped to meet the mental health needs of veterans in the community.

Gulf War 1 in-action deaths subjected to organ testing
The MOD and Atomic Weapons Establishment have confirmed that they believe that troops who sacrificed their lives for their country may have had their internal organs and bones removed by the AWE to test for the effects of exposure to radiation before the body was returned to their family.

An official inquiry (Redfern Inquiry) has been set up by parliament to investigate this further. Hilary Meredith Solicitors have been asked to assist with this inquiry.

A summary of the inquiry is available from this link.

Welfare Benefits

Backdating period for benefits reduced to three months
The eligible period for backdated claims for Pension Credit, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit will be reduced to three months from October 2008. Other changes to be introduced at the same time include:

• When people claim Pension Credit, the Pension Service will be able to complete the form over the phone along with a Housing and Council Tax Benefit form, which will be sent direct to the local council's benefits section.
• The time people can stay abroad without it affecting their Pension Credit will increase from 4 to 13 weeks – this will bring Pension Credit in line with Housing and Council Tax Benefit.

We will include more information on these changes in the next edition of the newsletter.

New guidance on exporting DLA, attendance allowance and carers allowance

The DWP has issued new guidance in relation to claimants being able to export entitlement to the care component of DLA, attendance allowance or carer's allowance on moving within the European Economic Area or to Switzerland.

This follows an October 2007 judgment of the European Court of Justice, in which it was held that the UK government had been wrong, in 1992, to list the three benefits as 'special non contributory benefits'. Now these benefits are considered to be exportable within the EU.

New online benefits adviser
A new online benefits adviser has been launched. This can make a quick assessment of entitlement to benefits and tax credits. As the website says – remember its just for information not an application for benefits.

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