The Defence Committee today (Tuesday 8 April) publishes its
report “The Armed Forces Covenant”.
The report contains recommendations for how the Government could
improve the way the Covenant works as part of its manifesto
commitment to put the Covenant “fully into law”.
Inconsistent implementation
The report finds inconsistent implementation of the Armed Forces
Covenant, leading to people who have served, and their families,
being put at a disadvantage as a result of their service.
Evidence provided to the Committee suggests that a worrying
number of Service personnel and their families feel that the
Covenant had been ineffective in their case – or worse yet, had
been disregarded.
Some Service personnel who wrote to the inquiry said they had
fallen to the bottom of NHS waiting lists when they were required
to move to a new place of duty, meaning they missed out on
treatment. Others described difficulties obtaining school places
for their children.
In cases like these, the Government and society are falling short
of their commitment to the Armed Forces community.
However, the Committee found that there are examples where the
Covenant does work well, improving outcomes and removing
disadvantage for Service personnel, their families and
veterans.
Expanding and strengthening the Covenant
In today's report, the Committee calls for the Legal Duty – the
duty to give due regard to military service – to be expanded to
central government departments and the devolved
administrations.
If done properly, the Committee states its expectation that
Whitehall departments take the needs of the Forces community into
account during policy development, so that the Forces community
are not unintentionally disadvantaged by new policies, as has
sometimes been the case in the past.
The Committee's report emphasises the importance of a deliverable
Covenant and urges Government to work with those who will be
bound by it and expected to deliver it, ensuring they must be
appropriately resourced to enable them to do so.
The Committee calls for understanding of the Covenant to be
deeply embedded in our institutions and in wider society.
Chair of the Defence Committee, MP, said:
“Our Armed Forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation
and make huge personal sacrifices in doing so.
“Military service can take a toll on personnel and their
families. Service can be difficult, demanding and dangerous, so
society must work hard to ensure that no one suffers
disadvantages for serving the country.
“The Armed Forces Covenant is supposed to support those who have
served, but unfortunately, our report today finds that the
Covenant is inconsistently implemented – delivering value for
some, but not others.
“We heard evidence of personnel being financially disadvantaged,
unable to access necessary medical care, or unable to find an
appropriate school for their children, due to their
service.
“When the Covenant works – it works well. Personnel and their
families told us that they had successfully made use of the Legal
Duty of the Covenant to access services.
“But this is a lottery, made worse by the unpredictability and
mobility of service life. When trying to access healthcare, each
move can send Service families to the bottom of waiting lists for
treatment.
“Our report calls for the Covenant to be strengthened and
expanded in law, and for Government to be much more proactive in
ensuring the Covenant is properly understood and consistently
implemented across all parts of our society.
“Government must provide guidance and direction, so that both the
private and public sector have clarity on what their
responsibilities to Service personnel and their families are, and
so that personnel, families and veterans can rely on the Covenant
wherever they are.”
