Military covenant to be made law
Saturday 14 May 2011 9:27 AM
The military covenant – the nation’s promise that troops will be cared for in return for the sacrifices they make – will be recognised in law for the first time under plans to honour the “unique service” given by members of the Armed Forces and their families.
David Cameron will unveil the move next week in an attempt to defuse anger over the treatment of Britain’s soldiers, sailors and airmen – particularly when they retire or return from service abroad.
It had been feared that the Prime Minister was backing away from a pledge to give the Armed Forces “a new military covenant that’s written into the law of the land”.
However, a defence minister told spoke about the Government’s plans, to be announced in the House of Commons on Monday, would put the covenant “on a statutory basis for the first time”.
The military covenant is an agreement under which the state pledges a duty of care toward its military personnel. Although a long established tradition, it has never been enshrined in law and there has been increasing concern that Britain’s soldiers are not getting the health care, housing or pay they deserve.
Military chiefs are said to be unhappy about recommendations made by Lord Hutton of Furness’s independent report on public sector pensions that would end final-salary payouts for the Armed Forces and raise their retirement age. Mr Cameron’s original promise to put the agreement on a legal footing was supposed to be fulfilled by the Armed Forces Bill, which is passing through Parliament. Whitehall lawyers warned ministers that making legal promises to provide certain public services could expose the Government and the Armed Forces to lawsuits.
As a result, the Bill stopped short of such a clear promise, committing ministers only to publishing an annual report on progress towards honouring the covenant. Military campaigners led by the Royal British Legion criticised the Bill, saying it did not go far enough.
After an embarrassing political row, the Bill was put on hold while ministers drew up new plans to honour the state’s responsibilities.
Andrew Robathan, the defence minister overseeing the Armed Forces Bill, told The Daily Telegraph the Coalition would “ensure the best possible treatment for all our Service personnel, both serving and retired”. He added: “We are putting the military covenant on a statutory basis for the first time.”
It is expected that the covenant measures will be based on broad “principles” for the treatment of military personnel, rather than explicit pledges on particular public services or entitlements.
Those principles will declare that no member of the Armed Forces should be disadvantaged because of their service. Furthermore, because of that service and the sacrifices involved, special treatment can sometimes be justified, the Coalition will say. The Local Government Association, which represents councils, will today reveal plans for veterans to be given priority when they apply for social housing. Some councils, including Barnet in north London, have already changed rules to give former service personnel special status on housing lists.
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