Soldiers lose out as MoD includes travel from warzones in leaveBy Martin Williams
MSPs are to launch a campaign to persuade the Ministry of Defence that time spent travelling from war zones such as Afghanistan should not be counted as part of the holiday allowance of British servicemen and women.
Kenneth Gibson, the SNP MSP for Cunninghame North, is supported by nine other MSPs including Michael Matheson, deputy convener of the European and External Relations Committee, in a motion criticising the MoD's refusal to budge on the travel time issue.
Gibson believes service personnel are being "cheated" out of their full entitlement by a "begrudging" MoD and has written to Defence Secretary Bob Ainsworth urging a rethink.
But the Ministry of Defence has said any change would disrupt operational requirements and have "unacceptable" implications.
The call comes as it emerged that more than one-third of flights bringing British soldiers home on leave from Afghanistan between February 2006 and October 2008, have been late. Of 596 scheduled departures from Kandahar, 223 were delayed for anything from an hour to several days in one case.
An MoD guide for the families of deployed troops says the 14 days of rest and recuperation (R&R) includes travel time, which typically reduces it to 12 days.
But Gibson, the deputy convener of the Scottish Parliament's education, lifelong learning and culture committee, has pointed out in his letter to the defence secretary that holiday allowances for US and Canadian service personnel do take into account time in transit and that they are separate from, and additional to, R&R periods.
"This is surely the only fair and reasonable way to avoid disappointment and give our service personnel the R&R they deserve," he told Ainsworth.
"I know there are many other very substantial concerns among service personnel and their families regarding housing, equipment and other policies.
"Changing this begrudging approach to leave would be an important and, I believe, much-appreciated symbol of goodwill and commitment to the forces and their families. I urge you to do so at the earliest possible opportunity."
Since starting the R&R programme in the US eight years ago, the Department of Defence has long held a policy that the break does not start until after arrival at the home destination. Leave now ranges from 15 days to 18 days.
The US Army says it views the programme as a respite from the stresses associated with a combat mission and allows participants to focus on family and friends when they return home. It is seen as an "investment" in the well- being of the soldier that will improve performance.
The MoD's latest continuous attitudes survey - a snapshot of morale in the armed forces - found that 21% of officers planned to quit before the end of their current commission. Nearly half cited overstretch and scale of commitments as a reason to leave the forces and a third felt operational tours were now coming around too often.
MoD figures showed that 46% of all Army units are in breach of the "harmony guidelines" when it comes to leave. The number of soldiers thought to have been affected is estimated at 10,000.
Psychiatrists believe that prolonged period in combat zones without proper rest leads to increased risks of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), alcoholism and family breakdown.
"Our service personnel do a difficult, dangerous and stressful job often in hostile territory thousands of miles from home," added Gibson. "Ironically, the more dangerous and far-flung a posting, the more time it takes to travel to and from postings, the less time service personnel can enjoy with their families.
"By effectively cheating our troops out of some of their leave, the MoD is devaluing the job they do ... It would be a great boost for our service personnel to be given the same consideration taken for granted by the armed forces of our allies and I urge the MoD to implement such changes forthwith."
