Armed Forces Covenant

Last week Parliament debated the Armed Forces Covenant. As a nation we owe a debt of gratitude to all members of the armed forces, wherever they are in the UK, both past and present. This comes with a moral obligation to ensure our veterans and serving armed forces are not discriminated against.

Across the country though there is far too much variation in the way the Covenant is applied. Often this variability is down to lack of information. In the recent parliamentary debate I mentioned that here in Norwich I’ve seen examples of doctors not being aware of the Covenant, and even the City Council not knowing what a bounty payment is.

In such cases we all need to raise awareness of the principles underlying the covenant so it can be implemented in a joined up way. The British Legion has published excellent best practice guides that give some clear guidance.

When the Covenant was introduced in 2011 by the Conservative-led Coalition Government, it came with the commitment to report annually to Parliament.

 

The Covenant is based on the firm principle that the armed forces community should not face disadvantage compared with other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. In some cases special consideration is also necessary. This is especially true for those who have given most, such as the wounded and those who have lost loved ones.

 

Delivering the Covenant is a national responsibility. All of us are involved from the Government through to local authorities, industry, service charities and of course the public. I am continually moved by support and recognition shown by the public for our armed forces. For example, in Norwich I was involved with the campaign to save Jubilee Hall for the Royal British Legion. The show of public support was truly outstanding.

 

Going forward, the priority must be to tackle areas where our armed forces report feeling most disadvantaged. I recently joined the All Party Parliamentary Group on this subject and from my own casework I know that this ranges from family healthcare to children’s education, spousal employment, housing and local services and also commercial support.

 

In the NHS I believe our veterans should receive priority treatment, subject to the clinical needs of others, for conditions resulting from their service. The Government is seeking to upgrade the medical records system to enable smoother cooperation between the military and NHS. This is certainly welcome, but local NHS services need to then act on this information.

 

Nationally I welcome the Government’s continued funding for the nine enhanced prosthetic centres for veterans. £10 million has been allocated to the Royal British Legion to launch a veterans’ hearing fund and £3 million to help veterans’ access high-specification wheelchairs. Equally, to tackle mental health problems, the highest standard of support is to be made available, funded by more than £13 million from LIBOR funds.

We also need to get more businesses involved. We now have 785 corporate covenant signatories and next week the Defence Secretary will present awards to 16 employee recognition scheme gold award winners, recognising the very best support for our armed forces. The Government will continue to tackle commercial disadvantage, including how the finance and insurance sector can better support the armed forces community. A two-year trial to give service spouses additional employment training and support has also been launched. We now have dedicated armed forces champions in every jobcentre region.

 

On schools, service children will be prioritised so they can be allocated school places before they move to the area. This helps reduce the impact of short-notice deployments on children’s education. Furthermore £20 million will be invested this year into childcare for military families.

 

We have achieved a great deal, but it is clear that more needs to be done to ensure we meet our promise to support the brave men and women who serve our country, and for my own part I shall continue to do all I can to achieve this.