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Written question asked by Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat) on Thursday, 23 October 2025, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 27 October 2025. It was answered by Louise Sandher-Jones (Labour) on Friday, 31 October 2025 on behalf of the Ministry of Defence.

Armed Forces Covenant

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions her Department has had with relevant stakeholders on (a) the Armed Forces Covenant and (b) the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme.

Answer

In developing policy to support putting the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law, we have been, and remain, actively engaged with a range of stakeholders across the UK. These include Devolved Governments and Covenant partners across Government, the Armed Forces community, local authorities, and the service charity and welfare sectors; over 150 organisations have taken part in roundtable discussions and workshops.

This forms part of an extensive research and engagement programme to both identify areas where the Armed Forces community may experience disadvantage and to design the extended Covenant Duty to address this. Active engagement concerning the Employer Recognition Scheme continues similarly.

At recent Mansion House events such as the Lord Mayor’s City Breakfast (21 July 2025) and the Defence and Security Lecture (20 October 2025), the Secretary of State championed the need for more organisations to engage with both the Armed Forces Covenant and the Employer Recognition Scheme, whilst thanking those already involved for their commitment and continued advocacy.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
84720
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Armed forces covenant
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk