Committees

Defence Committee launches inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant

13 December 2024

Today the Defence Committee launches an inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Armed Forces Covenant is a statement of the moral obligation which exists between the nation, the Government and the Armed Forces – its core principles were enshrined in law by the Armed Forces Act 2011. 

According to the Covenant, the Government, working with the chain of command, has a particular responsibility of care towards members of the Armed Forces, including a responsibility to maintain an organisation that treats every individual fairly, with dignity and respect, and an environment which is free from bullying, harassment and discrimination. The Covenant also states the importance of supporting the transition from Service to civilian life.  

This inquiry will examine how well the Covenant is serving the Armed Forces community, where it is failing them and why. It will examine how the scope of the Covenant might be extended. The Government has indicated that changes to the Covenant could be introduced as part of the Armed Forces Bill in the next Parliamentary session, and the inquiry will be an opportunity to influence this legislation. 

The Committee has written to the Secretary of State to request that Serving personnel be allowed to submit evidence to this inquiry based on their personal experiences. The Committee will issue an update to this notice once a reply to this request has been received. 

The deadline for written evidence submissions is Friday 24 January 2025. 

 Chair comment 

Chair of the Defence Committee, Tan Dhesi MP, said: 

“Service personnel and their families make immense sacrifices for our nation’s defence. Their bravery and dedication keep us safe. It is only right that we respect them for this. 

“The Armed Forces Covenant Act is an expression of Government’s commitment to treat each member of the Armed Forces with fairness, dignity and respect. But these can’t just be words on a page, and this inquiry will investigate whether the Covenant is working as intended and making a genuine positive difference to the experiences of the Armed Forces community, both within the Forces and in wider society.  

“This inquiry will examine where the Covenant is failing personnel and why, and how the Covenant might be extended and strengthened. We want the evidence we receive during this inquiry to be powerful and influential when the Government asks Parliament to legislate on the Covenant next year.”  

The Committee welcomes written evidence on:   

  • In what areas is the Armed Forces Covenant working well?
    • What are the main causes for these failings? 
  • Are there areas which the Armed Forces Covenant ought to be extended to, and why? 
    • If so, which are the priority areas? 
  • What legislative changes should be made and why? 
  • What impact would the extension of the Armed Forces Covenant legal duty to central government and devolved administrations have? 

Each submission should be no longer than 3,000 words and contain a brief introduction about the author. Submissions should be in malleable format such as MS Word (not PDFs) with no use of colour, logos or photos. Further guidance is available on our Written Evidence Guidance. 

Further information

Image: MOD