Position Paper

 

Óglaigh
Náisiúnta na hÉireann

 

Organisation of National Ex- Service Personnel

 

(ONE)

 

on the establishment of a

 

National Veteran Support Bureau

 

April 2025

 

 

National
Veteran Support Bureau

Introduction

1. ONE is a Registered Charity whose primary objective is to support veterans of the Defence Forces by the provision of accommodation to homeless veterans in its Veterans’ Homes and the provision of other advice and support to veterans, in particular Mental Health advice, through its nationwide network of Branches, Veteran Support Centres, and Veteran Support Officers.

2. The Department of Defence indicated in June 2000 that there were approximately 140,000 veterans of the Defence Forces at that time[1]. Using this as a baseline figure for 2025, ONE understands that this comprises 11,500 former members of the PDF in receipt of pension[2], approximately 38,500 former members of the PDF discharged before pensionable age[3], and approximately 90,000 former members of the RDF or its predecessors the FCA and An Slua Muirí.

3. ONE is going to establish a National Veteran Support Bureau whose primary purpose is to collect and distribute information to Veterans, Branches, Veteran Support Centres, and Veteran Support Officers. Your support in developing this is in the General Post Office (GPO) in Dublin would be greatly appreciated.

Client Group – Veterans Irish Defence Forces

4. As outlined in Paragraph 2, there are approximately 140,000 veterans of the Defence Forces out of a total population of 5,149,139[4] making up approximately 2.7% of the population.  While Ireland has not been at war since the end of the civil-war in May 1923, members of the Defence Forces have been deployed in wars or their immediate aftermath without interruption since 1958. This record of uninterrupted service in conflict zones is unequalled anywhere in the world. This was achieved by one of the smallest military forces in Europe while they were also engaged in extensive security operations on land, sea and air in Ireland before, during and after the “Troubles”. They also undertook significant humanitarian operations at home and overseas. This could not have been achieved without the unified effort of all elements of the Defence Forces and our veterans were the backbone of those missions. Some of them now need support.

5. The mental health support services provided through the Department of Defence / Defence Forces for veterans are limited to that “if a member of the Defence Forces is currently availing of the external independent counselling service at the date they leave the organisation, they will be entitled to finish out the counselling sessions (subject to the maximum of 6 sessions).”[5]

6. ONE has undertaken an ambitious programme of development to put in place the necessary additional support services. ONE now has four Veteran Homes currently providing 51 single bedrooms nightly for homeless veterans. Our fifth home in Cork City and our sixth in Limerick will be operational in 2025/2026. We will also open homes in Counties Kildare, Galway and Louth by the end of 2027 leading to 80 (+) bedrooms nationwide. We have six full time Veteran Support Officers (Counsellors) and plan to increase this to
seven by the end of 2026, four are funded by the HSE and the other two through charity partners. We have thirty-one Branches and fourteen Veteran Support Centres that may be compared to a cross between a Men’s /Women’s Shed and an advice centre.  A further
summation of this is contained in Annex A.

Veteran Support Centres

7. ONE established its first Veteran Support Centres in Dundalk and Limerick in 2012. The expansion of this service was discussed with the Minister with Responsibility for Defence on 15 December 2016 and in subsequent correspondence with the Minister on 13 April 2017.

8. The Veteran Support Centres can be described as a cross between Advice Centres and Men’s / Women’s Sheds. Veterans can visit to meet their comrades, seek mental health support, or advice on a range of issues.

9. ONE now has fourteen[6] Veteran Support Centres nationwide with the support of the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and local authorities. The Centres in Defence Property are operated via a licence agreement which has proven very successful.

Capability Gap

10.  While much of the veteran support network is now in place, it lacks the capability of a central hub.  This leads to a lack of uniformity in service delivery and sub-optimal support for veterans. The primary purpose of the National Veteran Support Bureau is to collect information on a wide range of issues affecting veterans and distribute this to Veterans, Branches, Veteran Support Centres, and Veteran Support Officers.

11. The Bureau would also act as a “one stop shop” on immediate support services for veterans and the level of ambition is to provide a veteran in need with food, clothing, accommodation and counselling within hours of contacting the Bureau.

12. The Office of Veteran Affairs, part of Government Policy outlined in the Programme for Government in January 2025, will interact with Government Departments, State Agencies and the Veteran Organisations. While its exact method of operation remains to be defined, it may not have the capability to interact with all individual veterans seeking support. This capability gap can be filled by the National Veteran Support Bureau.

Location and Facilities

13. It is understood that an interdepartmental committee is to be appointed by Government to explore future uses of the GPO which is to be taken over by the Office of Public Works following a handover by An Post. ONE believes that the establishment of a National Veteran Support Bureau in part of the GPO would assist in the provision of key services to the Irish veteran community and serve as a form of recognition of service for veterans of the Defence Forces.

14. While Óglaigh Na hÉireann was founded in the Rotunda in November 1913, it was forged in the crucible of the GPO which served as the headquarters of the Irish Volunteers (Óglaigh Na Éireann) during the 1916 Rising. This is a rare opportunity to place veterans at the heart of our public consciousness by giving them pride of place in one of our most recognised public buildings.

15. It is assumed that the GPO will be a shared facility used by a number of community groups. The National Veteran Support Bureau would require a small number of offices where veterans can seek support on a confidential basis and a larger communal facility where veterans can interact with fellow veterans. The latter would be similar to a large cafeteria and any profit therefrom would be used for veteran support services.

16. With the establishment of an Office of Veteran Affairs coupled with a National Veteran Support Bureau in the GPO, we could begin to fully harness the potential of Ireland’s veteran community right at the heart of Dublin’s City Centre while ensuring access to support services for vulnerable veterans.

Conclusion

17. Great progress has and is being made in the provision of support services for veterans of the Defence Forces. Notwithstanding this, more can and must be done. The establishment of the National Veteran Support Bureau in the GPO is a seminal part of that journey and would provide a clear path for veterans to access services, while collecting information on a wide range of issues affecting veterans and distributing this to Veterans, Branches, Veteran Support Centres, and Veteran Support Officers.

 

 

 

            Annex A

Further Detail on ONE

 

Support

The following issues have been identified by ONE in the veteran community:

·
Homelessness.

·
Mental Health issues.

·
Family Break Up.

·
Substance misuse.

·
Suicide / Suicidal Ideation.

·
Loneliness.

·
Institutionalisation.

·
The differing impact of service on male veterans, female veterans, and veterans of differing sexual orientation.

Support takes many forms. It ranges from a warm greeting to a fellow veteran, to a bed for a homeless veteran in one of our homes, and everything in between.

·       ONE has thirty-one Branches and three Area Councils.

·       ONE has fourteen Veteran Support Centres nationwide with the support of the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces and local authorities. These can be described as a cross between Advice Centres and Men’s / Women’s Sheds.

·     ONE has a professional counselling service for those that need Mental Health support as a result of their service. We have six Veteran Support Officers (Counsellor) and plan to have seven in place by 2026, our 75^th Anniversary. Four of the Veteran Support Officers are funded by the HSE and the other two by charity partners.

·       ONE has a pilot 24/7 helpline for veterans who need Mental Health support out of normal hours. An application is being made to the HSE to turn this into a sustainable support service for Veterans of the Defence Forces.

·     ONE currently has homes for homeless veterans in Athlone, Cobh, Dublin & Letterkenny. We are developing five more homes in: Cork; Limerick; Newbridge; Galway; and Louth leading to a total of 80 (+) single bedrooms nationwide by the end of 2027. Approximately 1,000 homeless veterans have used our services, with over 90% moving on to permanent housing.

 

Comradeship

Comradeship evokes a sense of shared experience, a shared culture, a shared set of values, and a willingness to serve.  Being part of a veterans’ association helps preserve a sense of identity and a sense of belonging.  It also evokes a sense of shared responsibility for those less fortunate than us. The Defence family, like any true community, is not just an organisation; rather it is an organism made up of smaller parts that work together. Homeless veterans and veterans in need of mental health support are part of that family and cannot be left behind.

 

Advocacy

ONE unashamedly advocates in support of veterans. It advocates particularly on behalf of those who are less fortunate than others. The majority of veterans of the Defence Forces, irrespective of length of service, are very successful in their new careers or are happy in retirement.  However, there are quite a number who need help
from time to time.

 

Remembrance

Remembrance is the fourth pillar of ONE. Remembrance serves to bring or to or keep in mind those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and we will always honour them. However, we must also remember those veterans who for some reason or another become homeless or others who need our support.                              

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Committee of Public Accounts Debate,
29 June 2000.

[2] Revised Estimates for Public
Services 2025, Vote 35, Page 170 indicates that 14,478 pensions will be paid in
2025 but this includes Disability Pensions and Dependents.

[3] Over 50% of personnel leaving the
Defence Forces are under 34 years of age.

[4] CSO Census
as of 03 April 2022

[5]
White Paper on Defence 2015, Page 86

[6] ONE had
fifteen but lost the Centre in Athy due to the expiry of the lease.