Source · Select Committees · Defence Committee
Recommendation 12
12
Acknowledged
Require Whitehall departments to provide annual updates on Covenant implementation and outcomes.
Conclusion
To enable proper scrutiny of cross-government efforts to implement the Covenant, Whitehall departments should provide an annual update on actions they have taken to uphold the Covenant as part of the Covenant Annual Report, along with outcomes. Departments should–when requested to do so by the Committee–make themselves available to give evidence as supporting witnesses alongside MOD as part of the Committee’s scrutiny of the Covenant Annual Report. (Recommendation, Paragraph 38)
Government Response Summary
The government will engage with other departments to consider how they can best report on their Covenant obligations and the MOD will commit to providing evidence, while the Minister will continue to encourage other departments to do the same.
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
We thank the Committee for its recommendation at Paragraph 38. The delivery of the Covenant is regularly subject to parliamentary scrutiny through the annual legal obligation on the Secretary of State for Defence to report progress on delivering the Covenant across the UK to Parliament. The Covenant also remains subject to regular Parliamentary scrutiny through Parliamentary Questions and reviews by the House of Commons Defence Select Committee. The MOD has already committed and will continue to commit to work with officials in OGDs to highlight areas of success and areas for improvement. The Covenant Annual Report already features some of the work carried out to support the Armed Forces community by wider Government departments, Devolved Governments and Third Sector organisations and the MOD will continue to seek their input. In light of the expanding scope of the Covenant, the MOD will engage with OGDs to consider how best they can report against their obligations. The MOD acknowledges that there are still some areas that require improvement and development to reinforce and strengthen the Covenant. The MOD recognises the importance of proper scrutiny and will commit to providing evidence as part of the Committee’s scrutiny of the Covenant Annual Report. The Minister for Veterans and People has and will continue to encourage OGDs to do the same.