Armed Forces Commissioner Bill

Lord Hay of Ballyore Excerpts

2nd reading
Wednesday 5th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hay of Ballyore (DUP)]

My Lords, the Armed Forces do a remarkable job keeping the people of this United Kingdom safe and secure in an ever-changing and increasingly dangerous world. We owe them a great debt of gratitude for their courage and their devotion to duty. The sacrifices of our Armed Forces at home and abroad must never be forgotten.

I congratulate the Minister on the way he has presented the Bill to the House. I hope that this legislation will improve the lives of our Armed Forces personnel. I hope the Armed Forces commissioner will be an important advocate for service personnel and their families. Regrettably, too often, promises made have not matched the reality experienced by our service communities. Many service personnel and their families have felt forgotten and very much neglected.

The Bill’s main provisions will be to establish an independent Armed Forces commissioner with wide-ranging powers to carry out their role independently from government. I welcome that the Armed Forces commissioner will be on a statutory basis reporting directly to Parliament.

I want to touch on an issue that was briefly touched on by the noble Baroness, Lady Hoey, and the noble Lord, Lord Browne. Across the United Kingdom, there are around 2.5 million veterans. It is vital that they are not simply left behind. Our veterans should enjoy our strongest possible support, as should serving members of our Armed Forces. I ask the Minister: if we are making provisions on a statutory basis for serving members of the Armed Forces, why are we not making the same statutory provisions for veterans’ commissioners across this United Kingdom, giving them the power to carry out their role independently from government?

We are to have a commissioner on a statutory basis for serving members of the Armed Forces, so why can it not be the same for veterans? If that happened, it would be a huge step forward for the Government in how they value our veterans community; it would give them the equality of treatment they very much deserve. Without the bravery and long-lasting commitment of our security personnel, the reign of terror in Northern Ireland would have led to the deaths of many more innocent victims. In Northern Ireland we possibly have more veterans than in any other part of this United Kingdom, with many thousands who served in the Armed Forces.

I welcome the recent appointment of the new Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner, David Johnstone, and I wish him well in his new role. He is also somebody who has served in the Armed Forces with distinction. This is a part-time appointment, for two days a week with staff from the Northern Ireland Office. It is not possible for the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner, on a part-time basis, to be responsible for looking after the interests of the thousands of veterans in Northern Ireland. If the Government are serious about looking after our veterans community, surely this should be a fully funded post with a full-time appointment, given the needs of our veterans in Northern Ireland.

The Bill will give independence to the Armed Forces commissioner, which I believe is vital. There is a case to be made for the veterans commissioner to have the same independence from government. I can speak only for Northern Ireland. For example, the staff of the Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner are appointed by the Northern Ireland Office, as is the commissioner. The Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner needs the same independence in challenging and holding the Government to account without fear of oversight from the Northern Ireland Office.

If it is right to have a commissioner on a statutory basis for serving personnel, why can the same case not be made by government for veterans? The creation of an Armed Forces commissioner is certainly a positive step forward for the Government, but surely they should do the same for our veterans. All forces personnel and veterans across these islands should be able to avail equally of the same quality of service. We must work together to provide the services and protections that our Armed Forces and services personnel need, now and in the future.

I repeat that it is not possible for our veterans commissioner to service all the needs of our veterans in Northern Ireland, and to do the job that he needs to do. He needs independence from government, especially from the Northern Ireland Office, to do what he needs to do.