Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has any plans to publish periodic statistics on the rates of suicide for (a) serving and (b) former serving armed forces personnel.

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) does not hold information about the number of Scottish veterans who have died as a result of suicide.

The MOD takes very seriously the welfare of Armed Forces personnel and veterans. Suicide among members of the Armed Forces remains extremely rare and is generally lower than comparative rates in the civilian population. MOD statistics on the rates of suicide amongst Serving personnel are published annually and the rates for the period 1 January 1984 to 31 December 2017 can be found at the following address:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-armed-forces-suicide-and-open-verdict-deaths-2017.

The NHS in England and the Devolved Administrations is responsible for the provision of healthcare, including mental healthcare, for veterans. Veterans in England, Scotland and Wales receive priority access to NHS secondary care for Service related conditions, subject to the clinical need of all patients.