§ Mr. Laurence RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial assistance his Department gives to the Gurkha Welfare Trust; and if he will make a statement. [82225]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Gurkha Welfare Trust (GWT) is a registered charity independent of the Ministry of Defence. It was established in 1969 to provide financial, medical and community aid to alleviate hardship and distress among Gurkhas and their families when they leave the British Army. The Department recognises the valuable work of the Trust and makes an annual grant in order to pay for the administrative costs of its field arm, the Gurkha Welfare Scheme (GWS). This year the Grant was £710,417. Our Defence Attache in Kathmandu heads the GWS. It spends over £6 million each year in Nepal and our contribution enables nearly all the money raised by the Trust through charitable donations and public appeals to be used for welfare purposes. This includes the payment of welfare pensions to Gurkhas who, in common with many other soldiers recruited to British colours for wartime service, were discharged before completing the requisite period of employment to qualify for a Service pension. The GWS provides, even in the most remote areas of Nepal, primary health care, first aid and emergency treatment, doctors' clinics and elementary dentistry, all free of charge. It is also involved in community projects and the 219W award of one-off hardship payments in respect of individual catastrophes. No genuine case of hardship is ever turned away and its work not only benefits our ex-Servicemen, but is also of value to the infrastructure of Nepal as a whole.