Select committee: Defence Committee
Recommendation 5
4th Report – The Armed Forces Covenant
Published 8 Apr 2025
Addressed to Ministry of Defence
Defence Committee The Armed Forces Covenant All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Alongside its plans to legislate for an expanded Covenant Legal Duty, the Government should develop a strategy for making sure the Covenant is fully and consistently applied and recognised by signatories and by those subject to the Legal Duty across the UK, including in the Devolved Administrations. Actions as part of this strategy could include establishing clear and demanding standards and mechanisms for accountability, improving guidance to those delivering services, and facilitating knowledge-sharing so that best practice can spread. (Recommendation, Paragraph 21) The future of the Covenant
From: Defence Committee, 4th Report – The Armed Forces Covenant (HC 572), 8 April 2025
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 16 June 2025.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The MOD agrees with the Committee's main conclusions on the Armed Forces Covenant and accepts the recommendations on extending the Covenant Legal Duty and on data collection, while stating that UK-wide minimum standards 'would not be appropriate'.
- The MOD agrees with the conclusions at Paragraphs 13 and 20 and recognises that application of the Covenant principles 'varies across the UK'.
- On a strategy for consistent application, it says the Legal Duty is 'deliberately flexible and does not mandate outcomes', and that UK-wide minimum standards would not be appropriate. It will provide training materials, webinars, downloadable resources and updated statutory guidance.
- It accepts the recommendation to extend the Duty to all government departments and the devolved governments. Officials are 'currently developing plans' for this, and it acknowledges the extension will place 'additional strain' on departments and local authorities.
- It accepts the recommendation on data collection, says the evidence available is 'limited', and will hold the next Covenant conference in July 2025. On departmental reporting it will 'engage with OGDs to consider how best they can report'.