Found: Act 2006 must be renewed by primary legislation every five years, with the next five-yearly Armed Forces Bill

Found: Switchboard) 4.4.2.14 10th October 2025 Dear Tan, The Committee will be aware that the Armed Forces Bill

Found: However, the Committee will know that the Government intends to introduce the Armed Forces Bill shortly

Found: The Department says that the next opportunity to set up an NDPB will be through an Armed Forces Bill

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty to include all (a) (i) UK and (ii) devolved government Departments and (b) policy areas.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Government’s election manifesto committed to placing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. During Armed Forces week in June, the Prime Minister announced that Service personnel, Veterans, their families and the bereaved are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved Governments for the first time under new plans to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK. It is our ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Armed Forces Covenant Duty across his Departmental responsibilities.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Government’s election manifesto committed to placing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. During Armed Forces week in June, the Prime Minister announced that Military personnel, veterans, their families and the bereaved are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved governments for the first time under new plans to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK.

The Covenant Legal Duty will now be extended from three policy areas to encompass 14 policy areas in a much broader scope. The policy areas are healthcare, education, housing, social care, childcare, employment and service in the Armed Forces, personal taxation, welfare benefits, criminal justice, immigration, citizenship, pensions, service-related compensation and transport. The Government aims to make the changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, anticipated in 2026.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his planned timetable is for the introduction of the Armed Forces Covenant into law.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

The Government’s election manifesto committed to placing the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law. During Armed Forces week in June, the Prime Minister announced that Military personnel, Veterans, their families and the bereaved are to have their unique circumstances legally protected by central and devolved Governments for the first time under new plans to extend the Covenant Legal Duty to more policy areas and across the UK.

It is our ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, which is required every five years to continue to have an Armed Forces.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he plans to standardise the criteria for reservist call-out liability across the Armed Forces services.

Answered by Louise Sandher-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)

Under the forthcoming Armed Forces Bill, we will standardise some of the criteria governing this liability, for those personnel who will form the Strategic Reserve (personnel who leave Service and retain a liability to be called back into permanent Service). Call-out liability for personnel on leaving Regular Service is determined by individual circumstances. These include the Service they were part of, the individual commitment or contract that governed their Service, their age, and other specific terms of their discharge such as if for medical or disciplinary reasons.

The policies and processes that underpin call-out liability are under constant review, to ensure that they remain fit for purpose in the current geopolitical environment and beyond.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support is available for military families relocating to areas with limited access to public services.

Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)

Military families relocating to areas with limited public infrastructure can face distinct challenges. The Ministry of Defence is committed to supporting these families through a range of targeted initiatives and cross-government collaboration. Central to this effort are the Armed Forces Families Strategy 2022–2032 and the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Armed Forces Families Strategy exists not only to ensure we listen to and address the needs of the families that provide vital support to our Service Personnel, but also to provide direction to and inspire partnership between policy makers across Government to empower these families to live rich and fulfilling lives. It is underpinned by an Action Plan delivered in partnership with Devolved Administrations, Local Authorities, and the Third Sector.

We are reinforcing our existing commitment to the Covenant by bringing it into Law through the Armed Forces Bill, promoting better outcomes for the Armed Forces community when accessing key public services and removing disadvantage. We are also working on the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill which will further strengthen oversight and advocacy for Service families.

Found: New measures are being introduced through the Armed Forces Bill to strengthen the UK’s Strategic Reserve

Found: New Defence Housing Service to transform housing for forces families as Armed Forces Bill backs those

Found: It is the MOD’s ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill.

Found: It is the MOD’s ambition to include these statutory changes in the next Armed Forces Bill, which is

Found: The Armed Forces Bill will deliver a new and independent Armed Forces Commissioner, supporting the

Found: recommendations. 1.3 The department is planning to introduce legislative measures in the next Armed Forces Bill

Found: recommendations. 1.3 The department is planning to introduce legislative measures in the next Armed Forces Bill