As a member of the Armed Forces Bill Committee, I recently asked Lt. Gen. Sir Nick Pope KCB CBE in his role as Chair of the Confederation of British Serving and Ex Service Organisations about the Armed Forces Covenant.
The intention of this latest Armed Forces Bill is to extend the scope of the Armed Forces Covenant and apply it to a broader range of polices and public bodies. While expanding the Covenant may be well-intentioned, I am concerned about the roll out and its equal application. It relies on bodies having “due regard” to it and thus statutory guidance as to what that means becomes vital. There is a risk however of creating a postcode lottery, where the support available depends on where someone lives and how that area interprets it.
We need to be clear that our service personnel understand what the covenant offers and that its roll out is effective.
