§ Mr. AshleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans have been made to provide suitable jobs for service personnel permanently disabled in the Gulf.
Mr. Jackson[holding answer 5 March 1991]: It is too soon to say how many United Kingdom service personnel who sustained injuries in the Gulf crisis might be discharged on medical grounds.
Service personnel who are medically discharged because retention in the relevant service is not a possible option are helped by the resettlement officers of each service both before and after discharge. These officers work in close liaison with disablement resettlement officers (DROs) from the employment service, and with a variety of other organisations which can provide resettlement, rehabilitation and training assistance, to ensure that the needs of the service personnel when re-entering civilian life are met most effectively.
In particular, DROs are invited to resettlement panels run by the services and can offer advice and guidance there. Anyone who requires further help, perhaps in their home area, in identifying, gaining and retaining suitable work can obtain it from the employment rehabilitation service and from DROs and other employment service staff.