Forces Welfare

Military Covenant day of reckoning

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Prime Minister David Cameron acknowledged today there was "always more to be done" to assist military personnel, veterans and families as his Government published its first annual assessment of progress in fulfilling the Armed Forces Covenant.

The Ministry of Defence report records improvements to operational allowances, leave arrangements, mental healthcare provision and support for forces children's education over the past year.

But Defence Secretary Philip Hammond accepted that "more can and will be done", and the Royal British Legion highlighted continuing concerns about long-term care for the wounded and injured, support for reservists and the handling of veterans' complaints.

Welcoming the report during a pre-Christmas trip to visit troops in Afghanistan, Mr Cameron said: "There is always more to be done.

"I think we have gone a long way, getting it into law, giving it real teeth, things like changes to the council tax, the pupil premium..."

On the military covenant, he added: "There will always be an ongoing debate about what more we can do as a nation to thank and reward people who serve the Crown in this way."

Today's report confirmed Mr Cameron's announcement yesterday of the creation of a new ministerial committee, chaired by Cabinet Office minister Oliver Letwin, to oversee the Government's work to fulfil the covenant.

Mr Cameron - who will chair the committee's first meeting in the new year - said he would be "driving" its work, adding: "I'm passionate about this issue and it is a cross-government issue."

The report also noted that the Government had doubled council tax relief and improved rest and recreation leave for those on operations, as well as endorsing proposals for improvements in mental health care and prosthetic services for military amputees.

A new scheme has provided 22 further education and 61 higher education scholarships to bereaved service children and there has been more help for personnel leaving the forces to go on to higher and further education.

Some 139 state schools have bid for funds totalling £3 million to help educate children of service personnel, on top of £9 million available through the pupil premium.

More than 20 councils have signed "community covenants" with the armed forces and local projects to support troops have been funded from a £30 million scheme.

The Royal British Legion welcomed the report, but said that "urgent focus" was needed over the coming year on the issues of better treatment for the wounded, injured and sick, support for reservists and their families and the establishment of a process to deal with veterans' complaints.

RBL director general Chris Simpkins said: "The Legion's Honour the Covenant campaign began in 2007 and progress since then has been genuinely impressive. We applaud the Prime Minister's key interventions that committed the Government to making the principles of the Covenant law and to appointing a chief coroner, which we saw as a key test of the Covenant.

"Action is now needed to address how the principle of special treatment can help those wounded or injured in the defence of our country; to improve support for reservists, who will have an increasingly significant role, and their families; and to recognise the needs of veterans by creating a complaints body or process for them, such as serving personnel already have.

"We welcome the commitment to create a Ministerial Committee to champion Covenant issues. It is vital that all parts of Government and the public sector, as well as Service charities, continue to work to ensure the principles of the Covenant improve the day-to-day experiences of our brave service men and women and their families. The Legion, as well as parliament itself, will continue to hold the Government to account on this."