Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 2
2
Accepted
Allow time for the Select Committee to hear diverse oral evidence on the Armed Forces Bill.
Recommendation
Assuming precedent is followed, a Select Committee will be appointed to consider the Armed Forces Bill, with the opportunity to hear oral evidence before considering the Bill line by line. We recommend that the Government allow time for that Committee to hear from a broad range of organisations with an interest in the Armed Forces Covenant, as well as on other issues that may be within the scope of the Bill. (Recommendation, Paragraph 6) The Covenant today
Government Response Summary
The MOD commits to the established practice of appointing a Committee for the Armed Forces Bill 2026, which will take evidence from interested stakeholders, allowing time for broad engagement.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Ministry of Defence (MOD) agrees with the conclusion at Paragraph 5, acknowledging that the timeframe for producing the report was limited. The MOD greatly values the Committee’s efforts in gathering and analysing both oral and written evidence in the short timescale provided. We appreciate the Committee’s thorough and timely recommendations and welcome further collaboration with the Committee on this subject. The Minister for Veterans and People has committed to engaging with the Committee on an annual basis. We believe that ongoing Committee scrutiny will be particularly valuable once the Armed Forces Covenant is fully embedded into law. This will help ensure that discussions are guided by the practical application of the new framework. The MOD’s expectation is that, as for previous Armed Forces Bills, a Committee will be appointed to consider the matters in the Armed Forces Bill 2026 and to take evidence from interested/invited stakeholders. The Covenant today