| answer text |
<p>The Secretary of State provides an annual report to Parliament on progress delivering
the commitments in the Armed Forces Covenant. Importantly this report includes unedited
comments from the three Service Family Federations and key representatives of the
Armed Forces charity sector (including the Confederation of Service Charities, the
Royal British Legion and SSAFA). This independent assessment, in conjunction with
the engagement of these organisations with the Cross Government Covenant Reference
Group (CRG), and my personal engagement with them as the Minister for Defence Personnel
and Veterans, provides an essential strand of continuous feedback on all elements
of the Covenant, not just the Community Covenant.</p><p>The Ministry of Defence (MOD)
is also able to draw on the results of annual continuous attitude surveys, which provide
a comprehensive picture of the views of our personnel on key issues, including the
Covenant. We also have a network of personnel deployed regionally with responsibility
for engaging with Local Authorities on the Covenant.</p><p>The previous Minister for
Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans, the right hon. Member for Broxtowe (Anna
Soubry), wrote to each local authority in Great Britain underlining the importance
of the Community Covenant and inviting them to provide details of the actions they
have taken since signing the Community Covenant. This information is being used to
support a broader body of work aimed at sharing and promoting best practice across
Local Authorities. It builds on the three regional Community Covenant Conferences
(Bristol, Manchester and Leicester) run by the MOD earlier in the year, as well as
the Community Covenant event hosted at the Local Government Association annual conference
in June.</p><p>Annual funding of £10 million will continue to support all 407 Local
Authorities who have signed up to the Community Covenant and made a commitment to
support their local Armed Forces community. The Community Covenant remains an essential
strand in supporting the Armed Forces and we are committed to its successful implementation.
I encourage all colleagues to engage their Local Authority on the actions they are
taking to uphold the principles in the Covenant. We all have a shared responsibility
for its delivery at a local level.</p>
|
|
