Armed Forces Commissioner Bill

Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall Excerpts

Committee stage
Monday 24th March 2025 Grand Committee

Relevant document: 17th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

Good afternoon, my Lords. I remind the Committee that, as usual, if there is a Division in the Chamber the Committee will adjourn for 10 minutes from the sound of the Division Bells—and it seems very likely that that will happen at least once.

Clause 4: Commissioner’s functions in relation to general service welfare

Amendment 13

Moved by

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[Baroness Goldie (Con)]

My Lords, again, this has been a short but very substantial debate. I thank the noble and gallant Lord, Lord Stirrup, and the noble Lord, Lord Russell, for their contributions—and, indeed, the Minister for his response. What is really encouraging is the unanimity of view that we can keep doing better. I am grateful to the Minister for his observations about the previous Government. From my engagement with him when he was the opposition spokesman on defence, I know how encouraging and supportive he was as we tried to bring forward much-needed change.

[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

The Division Bells are ringing. Does the noble Baroness have much more that she intends to say? Would she prefer to return after the Division?

[Baroness Goldie (Con)]

It might be as well to adjourn for the Division.

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[The Deputy Chairman of Committees (Baroness McIntosh of Hudnall) (Lab)]

My Lords, although 10 minutes have not quite elapsed, I think that everybody who was in the Room before we adjourned is back in the Room. We might just take advantage of a few minutes before the next Division is called to continue—it will be called very shortly. Would the noble Baroness, Lady Bennett, like to resume?

[Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (GP)]

I thank the noble Baroness very much. I did not have any written notes, so I shall do my best to continue seamlessly.

I think I was commenting on the way in which the public and Parliament know what the commissioner is doing, and there are a couple of elements in this amendment that are particularly relevant. The general point is that, if the commissioner is holding an inquiry on a particular subject, that may indeed take quite a significant period of time. There are issues that are being resolved that do not necessarily deserve a stand-alone report on a particular subject—but do we have a sense of what issues are being addressed and how the commissioner is working? In particular, we can look at proposed new Section 340OA(1)(c) in this amendment, on

“the resources used by the Commissioner in fulfilling its functions, and any further resources required”.

It is important that Parliament and the public have a sense that the commissioner has a vehicle by which they can say, “X number of extra issues have been raised with me, but I only have the resources to do this number of things”.

So it is useful at this stage perhaps to regard this as a probing amendment. I am very interested in whether the Minister can comment on Clause 4(3) on page 5, which I referred to. It talks about an investigation and a report, but how are we going to know what the commissioner is doing in a general sense and get a general picture of their work? How do Parliament and the public know that? I think that is what this amendment seeks to address.