20 Feb 25. Members to hear from veterans’ commissioners, NHS and local government associations on the Armed Forces Covenant
Evidence Session: Armed Forces Covenant
Tuesday 25 February 2025, 10.30, Committee Room 15
Watch on parliamentlive.tv
The Defence Committee will hold an evidence session on the Armed Forces Covenant at 10.30 on Tuesday 25 February. The session will explore the implementation of the Covenant, asking whether the Covenant is delivering for Service personnel and veterans.
In the first panel, the Committee will hear from veterans’ commissioners to discuss the implementation of the Covenant in the Devolved Administrations. It is likely that questions will cover the experiences of veterans when accessing housing and healthcare, and variations in how the Covenant is applied in different parts of the UK.
In the second panel, the Committee will hear from some of the organisations responsible for delivering the existing Covenant Legal Duty in the areas of healthcare, housing and education. Members are likely to ask about how well health, housing and education services understand the different needs of Service personnel and their families, and whether the Covenant should be extended to cover other services such as welfare and social care.
10.30, Tuesday 25 February:
- Lt Cdr (Retd) Susie Hamilton – Scottish Veterans Commissioner [virtual]
- David Johnstone – Northern Ireland Veterans Commissioner [virtual]
- Col. James Phillips – Veterans’ Commissioner for Wales
11.30:
- Cllr Lis Burnett – Presiding Member, Welsh Local Government Association [virtual]
- Mike Callaghan – Policy Manager, Communities Team, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
- Kate Davies – Director, Health and Justice, Armed Forces and Sexual Assault Services Commissioning, NHS England
- Cllr David Fothergill – Chair, Community Wellbeing Board, Local Government Association