Summary
The principles of the Armed Forces Covenant are enshrined in law. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the whole of Government to ensure that they are being successfully communicated and implemented. This cannot be done by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) alone. We welcome the establishment of the Office for Veterans’ Affairs and its shared responsibility between MoD and the Cabinet Office. We look forward to more details explaining the remit and function of the Office within the broader Covenant governance structure.
The full participation of the devolved administrations, especially through the Veterans Board, is essential in ensuring UK wide implementation of the Covenant. We call on the Government to grant full membership to Scotland and Wales immediately and extend this to Northern Ireland once a Government has been established.
We are concerned with the ongoing challenges faced by Commonwealth personnel who would like to bring their family with them to the UK. We recognise that this is a Home Office policy lead, but we would like to see the MoD improve its communication strategy with potential and serving Commonwealth personnel and continue to engage with the Home Office on this issue.
We acknowledge the work being done by the MoD in coordination with the Department for Education in supporting Service children. However, the causal relationship between the mobility of Service life and the effect on educational attainment needs to be explored further. Families are still reporting concerns over school admissions and research suggests that service children are less likely to go to university than the general population. These disadvantages must be understood and addressed as a Covenant priority.
It is disappointing that we must once again highlight our concern regarding the poor performance and serious challenges in respect of accommodation which continues to be the most frequently reported concern to the Service Families Federations. The MoD must learn lessons from the poor record of satisfaction with repair and maintenance for Service accommodation to ensure that future contracts have a customer-focused approach and that there is more active management of the contract. The MoD must put urgent plans in place to improve the condition of Single Living Accommodation (SLA).We will be asking the Comptroller and Auditor General to examine the provision of SLA.
The Veterans Gateway has developed into an essential hub of advice and support for veterans and their families. However, we note that long term financial provision has not been confirmed to keep the Gateway operational. A consultation between the MoD and the Service charities sector should take place to explore potential funding options for the future.
It is a matter of deep concern that little progress has been made in the reinstatement of War Widows’ Pension to a cohort who remarried or cohabitated between 1973 and 2005. The new Secretary of State for Defence must press this issue and engage urgently with the Treasury to rectify this injustice.
Our report also considers other specific issues in respect of measuring Covenant delivery: healthcare, through-life support, the Covenant in Business and the Community Covenant.
We enthusiastically support the Covenant. Our Report is intended to be a constructive contribution to its delivery, and to the achievement of its goal: that Service personnel, Veterans and the wider Armed Forces community should suffer no disadvantage as a result of pursuing or supporting a career in the Armed Forces.
Published: 25 September 2019