Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the recommendations of the Royal British Legion and Poppyscotland's 2017 Manifesto for the armed forces.

Last year's Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report to Parliament, published on 18 December 2017, sets out the progress made and future intent across Government and in the Devolved Administrations towards a number of key goals in the Royal British Legion's Manifesto. These include: confirmation from the Office of National Statistics that they will recommend the inclusion of a veterans' marker in the 2021 census; an independent review of the Covenant in Business in 2018 to identify and share best practice, and an intention to consult on statutory guidance for local authorities regarding housing support for divorced and separated spouses of Service personnel.

Defence Ministers were pleased to meet with the Director General of the Royal British Legion, Charles Byrne, in November 2017, and will continue to drive the Covenant agenda forward across Government via the Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board this Year.