ALMOST £600,000 in fines handed over to the Government for the Libor interest rate-fixing scandal is being used to help armed forces veterans suffering mental health problems.
Royal Bank of Scotland was fined £87.5 million by UK authorities for its part in the Libor scandal, while Barclays and UBS have also received substantial penalties for their involvement.
Yesterday, Scotland Office Minister David Mundell said the cash, which had been earmarked for the veterans support services in Chancellor George Osborne's Budget, would go towards Mental Health First Aid, in partnership with Combat Stress, the Royal British Legion and SSAFA – the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association – to design and provide the training.
The funding will be used over the next 18 months to train 200 veterans, their families and people who support them. They will then go on themselves to train about 6200 members of the armed forces community across the UK by the summer of 2015.
Mr Mundell said: "Today's announcement highlights this Government's continued commitment to improve the provision of mental health care for service personnel and veterans.
"Training veterans and their families to spot the early signs that someone is suffering from mental health problems is a vital first step in getting them help."
He said that by the summer of 2015, about 6200 members of the armed forces community across the UK will have received Mental Health First Aid training.
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