The Armed Forces Covenant

Defence Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 13 Dec 2024 Closed: 3 Sep 2025 Parliament page
This inquiry will examine the Armed Forces Covenant, the UK’s commitment to ensuring that members of the Armed Forces community are supported and treated fairly. The inquiry will explore whether the Covenant is working, examine areas where serving or former personnel and their families continue to face difficulties, and consider … Read more
5 Recommendations
8 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
2 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 10 events
8 Jul
2025
Correspondence
16 Jun
2025
Report published
8 Apr
2025
Report published
11 Mar
2025
Oral evidence
11 Mar
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
25 Feb
2025
Oral evidence
25 Feb
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 15, Palace of Westminster
4 Feb
2025
Oral evidence
4 Feb
2025
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
9 Jan
2025
Correspondence
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
11 Mar 2025
View on parliament.uk
Oral Evidence Session
Alistair Carns DSO OBE MC MP · Ministry of Defence James Greenrod · Ministry of Defence Sarah Houghton · Ministry of Defence Vice Admiral Phillip Hally CB MBE · Ministry of Defence
25 Feb 2025
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Oral Evidence Session; Panel 2
Cllr Gillian Ford · Local Government Association (LGA) Col. James Phillips · Office of the Veterans Commissioner for Wales Councillor Lis Burnett · Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) David Johnstone · Office of the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner Kate Davies · Ofcom Lt Cdr (Retd) Susie Hamilton · Office of the Scottish Veterans Commissioner Mike Callaghan · Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA)
4 Feb 2025
View on parliament.uk
Panel 1; Panel 2
Collette Musgrave · Army Families Federation Lieutenant General Sir Nick Pope KCB CBE · Cobseo Mark Atkinson · The Royal British Legion Rebecca Lovell · Naval Families Federation Vanessa Plumley · RAF Families Federation
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report – The Armed Forces Covenant HC 572 8 Apr 2025 13 Responded
Recommendations & Conclusions
11 results
Clear
1 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Secretary of State's timetable restricted opportunities for oral evidence gathering.
The timetable presented to us by the Secretary of State for producing a report meant there were fewer opportunities to take oral evidence on this subject than we would have preferred. (Conclusion, Paragraph 5)
Government Response
The government agrees with the committee's observation regarding the limited timeframe for the report and commits to annual engagement between the Minister for Veterans and People and the Committee, as well as appointing a committee to consider the Armed Forces Bill 2026.
Ministry of Defence
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2 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Allow time for the Select Committee to hear diverse oral evidence on the Armed Forces Bill.
Assuming precedent is followed, a Select Committee will be appointed to consider the Armed Forces Bill, with the opportunity to hear oral evidence before considering the Bill line by line. We recommend that the Government allow time for that Committee … Read more
Government Response
The MOD commits to the established practice of appointing a Committee for the Armed Forces Bill 2026, which will take evidence from interested stakeholders, allowing time for broad engagement.
Ministry of Defence
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3 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Armed Forces Covenant inconsistently applied, failing many service personnel and veterans.
The evidence we received shows that where the Covenant is working well it is improving outcomes for service personnel, their families and veterans and is removing some of the disadvantages people face as a result of military service. However, this … Read more
Government Response
The MOD agrees there are inconsistencies and will provide training materials, webinar sessions, downloadable resources, and updated statutory guidance to help organisations comply and ensure consistent application of the Covenant.
Ministry of Defence
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4 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Inconsistent implementation of the Covenant Legal Duty across the UK.
Implementation of the Covenant Legal Duty varies considerably across the UK. In some places the Legal Duty has resulted in the creation of new policies and initiatives that have tangibly improved the lives of the forces community; in others the … Read more
Government Response
The MOD acknowledges varied implementation and plans to provide training materials, webinars, resources, and updated statutory guidance to help organisations ensure consistent application and compliance with the Covenant.
Ministry of Defence
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5 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Develop a strategy for consistent, comprehensive application of the Armed Forces Covenant Legal Duty.
Alongside its plans to legislate for an expanded Covenant Legal Duty, the Government should develop a strategy for making sure the Covenant is fully and consistently applied and recognised by signatories and by those subject to the Legal Duty across … Read more
Government Response
The MOD accepts the recommendation and will provide training materials, webinar sessions, downloadable resources, and updated statutory guidance to ensure consistent application of the Covenant across the UK.
Ministry of Defence
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6 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Extension of the Covenant Legal Duty to central government departments welcomed.
We welcome the proposal to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to areas of central government. If this duty is properly implemented, we would expect to see Whitehall departments taking the needs of the forces community into account during policy development, … Read more
Government Response
The MOD agrees with the conclusion and is developing plans to extend the Covenant Duty to all UK Government Departments and Devolved Governments, supported by training materials, webinars, and resources.
Ministry of Defence
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7 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Extend Armed Forces Covenant duty to all government departments with clear guidance.
The Government should extend the application of the Armed Forces Covenant so that all Government departments and the devolved administrations are required to give due regard to the principles of the Armed Forces Covenant. As the current duty of ‘due … Read more
Government Response
The MOD accepts the recommendation and is developing plans to extend the Covenant Duty to all UK Government Departments and Devolved Governments, supported by training materials, webinars, and resources to ensure clear understanding and compliance.
Ministry of Defence
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8 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Expansion of Covenant Legal Duty requires co-design and adequate resourcing.
The Government is right to recognise that the existing Covenant Duty does not reach into many areas of life in which the service community faces disadvantage, and to consider expanding the scope of the Covenant Legal Duty. As noted in … Read more
Government Response
The MOD acknowledges the need for co-design and appropriate resourcing, detailing an extensive engagement programme and co-developing a new burdens assessment with MHCLG and LGA, alongside providing training materials and resources.
Ministry of Defence
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9 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Expand Covenant Legal Duty, co-designing with local authorities for effective, deliverable implementation.
The Covenant Legal Duty should be expanded to cover the breadth of areas in which members of the Armed Forces community regularly experience disadvantage. The Government should work closely with local authorities and other bodies who might be required to … Read more
Government Response
The MOD acknowledges the recommendation to expand the Covenant Legal Duty, detailing an extensive engagement program, co-developing a new burdens assessment with MHCLG and LGA to address resource constraints, and providing training materials and resources.
Ministry of Defence
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11 Recommendation Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Provide the Committee with updates on improving data collection for Covenant delivery.
The Government should provide the Committee with an update, in its response to this Report and when it gives evidence to the Committee on the Covenant Annual Report in the future, on the work it is doing to improve data … Read more
Government Response
The MOD accepts the recommendation and provides an update on current data collection via annual reports and online feedback. They recognise the need for improved data and commit to ongoing engagement, roundtables, and a July 2025 conference to encourage knowledge sharing.
Ministry of Defence
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13 Conclusion Accepted
4th Report – The Armed Forces Cove…
Armed Forces Covenant not consistently implemented, falling short of its commitment.
The Armed Forces Covenant is a solemn commitment by our whole society to recognise the courage and dedication of our Armed Forces. While progress has been made since the Covenant was introduced, it is still not consistently implemented and as … Read more
Government Response
The government agrees with the conclusion, highlighting existing positive impacts of the Covenant, including enshrining it into law, and states it will continue to explore ways to enhance support for the Armed Forces community.
Ministry of Defence
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Government Response AI assessment · 13 of 5 classified
Accepted 11
Acknowledged 2
Total 5 recs + 8 conclusions
Correspondence 2 letters
8 Jul 2025 Letter dated 30th June from MinVP to the Chair regarding the Covenant Legal Duty.pdf
Parliament page
9 Jan 2025 Letter dated 23rd December from Secretary of State to Chair regarding dispensation to Service Personnel to contribute to inquiry on the Armed Forces Covenant
Parliament page