MOD lifts restriction on serving personnel giving evidence for Armed Forces Covenant inquiry

Following the Secretary of State’s decision, Service Personnel will be able to share with the Committee their views on how well the Armed Forces Covenant is working for them and how it might be improved.  

The Committee’s inquiry examines how well the Covenant is serving the Armed Forces community, where it is failing them and why. It examines 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 portal for submitting written evidence can be found here. The deadline for written evidence submissions is Friday 24 January 2025.  

MOD has indicated it is content for serving personnel and civil servants to submit written evidence to the inquiry on the understanding that: 

• It is in a personal capacity; 
• In line with long-standing principles as Crown Servants, submissions from those employed by the MOD only comment on personal experiences and not matters of policy; and 
• Those submitting evidence do not reveal private information about other people. 

As some submissions may contain sensitive personal information, the Committee will not publish submissions relating to individual experiences without first consulting the individuals concerned. 

Chair comment

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

“I am pleased that the Defence Secretary has lifted the restriction on Service Personnel giving evidence to the Defence Committee for our inquiry into the Armed Forces Covenant. It is essential that Service Personnel are able to contribute to this inquiry and we encourage them to get in touch to let us know how well the Covenant is working for them and how it might be improved. 

“The Covenant is a contract between the country and Service Personnel: acknowledging the sacrifices that personnel make and promising to treat them with respect and fairness.  

“The Armed Forces Covenant Act cannot just be words on a page, and this inquiry is investigating whether the Covenant is working as intended. I would urge any serving personnel to take this opportunity to submit evidence, and make their voices heard.” 

The Committee welcomes written evidence on:    

• In what areas is the Armed Forces Covenant working well?
• Where is the Armed Forces Covenant failing the Armed Forces Community?
• 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

• About Parliament: Select committees
• Visiting Parliament: Watch committees

Image: MOD