Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to consult with the armed forces community when improving the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Ministry of Defence engages regularly with a wide range of stakeholders to understand how the Armed Forces Covenant is being delivered in practice and seek views on how it could be improved.

The Department has been working at pace to fulfil the election manifesto commitment to put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law, and this has included engagement with over 150 organisations, including representatives of the Armed Forces community, including those serving, veterans, family members, and the bereaved.

The Department also seeks the views of the Armed Forces community through regular surveys such as the Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey and Families Continuous Attitude Survey. These include questions to assess awareness of the Covenant and identify areas where the Armed Forces community may face disadvantage. This range of engagement will continue as we monitor the implementation of the Covenant Duty extension.