Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what percentage of veterans who have left the armed forces in the last 20 years have suffered mental illness.

Information on the number and percentage of veterans who have left the Armed Forces in the last 20 years and have suffered from mental illness is not held by the Ministry of Defence.

However, as of March 2014, there were 121,900 ex-Service personnel in receipt of a disablement pension under the War Pension Scheme. Of these, 10,610 (9%) were in receipt of a disablement pension where the recorded condition relates to a mental disorder. As of 31 March 2014, there were 11,165 personnel, who were no longer in Service on 1 August 2014, awarded compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for an injury or illness attributable to Service. Of these, 1,120 (10%) were awarded compensation where the recorded condition relates to a mental disorder.