Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the <i>Armed forces covenant for communities</i>, published on 12 January, what action they are taking to help local authorities to adapt their policies to remove disadvantages faced by members of the armed forces community.

The conclusions and recommendations of the report “Our Community – Our Covenant” are available at the following address http://www.fim-trust.org/ reports/ and include practical guidance, a tool kit and a self-assessment section, which have been commended to Local Authorities across the UK.

A cross-Government Action Plan is currently being drafted to promote and assess progress. This is being supported by Covenant Funding available to Local Authorities who wish to adopt new processes or initiatives in support of the Covenant. This includes building on existing good practice; in Warwickshire, for example, an IT training package on the Covenant and how it applies to that community is in the process of being launched.