Armed Forces personnel and veterans are being disadvantaged as a result of their service a new report has found. A Defence Select Committee investigation into the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant in society found that there are inconsistencies in the way it is delivered.

The Armed Forces Covenant was introduced in 2000 and exists to ensure that service personnel, veterans and their dependents are not put at a disadvantage as a result of their service in respect of accessing goods and services. Chair of the Defence Committee Tan Dhesi MP, said: “Our Armed Forces dedicate their lives to protecting our nation and make huge personal sacrifices in doing so. Military service can take a toll on personnel and their families. Service can be difficult, demanding and dangerous, so society must work hard to ensure that no one suffers disadvantages for serving the country.

“The Armed Forces Covenant is supposed to support those who have served, but unfortunately, our report today finds that the Covenant is inconsistently implemented – delivering value for some, but not others.”

Since the covenant’s introduction more than 10,000 organisations and companies have signed up to it, although their commitment to implementing it is often difficult to judge.

One veteran said on X: “Throughout my working career as a Reservist the companies I worked for talked a good game on supporting the armed forces that never translated down to management.”

The report’s committee heard from serving and former members of the Armed Forces who painted a bleak picture of the covenant’s ability to save them from disadvantage.

One serving member told how they were on a three year NHS waiting list for medical conditions. After two years, they were posted from Scotland to the south of England meaning that they were placed once more to the bottom of the list. 

When challenging the five year wait for specialist treatment, it is alleged that the NHS trust said: “They didn’t recognise and therefore follow the Armed Forces Covenant.”

Mr Dhesi added: “We heard evidence of personnel being financially disadvantaged, unable to access necessary medical care, or unable to find an appropriate school for their children, due to their service.  

“When the Covenant works – it works well. Personnel and their families told us that they had successfully made use of the Legal Duty of the Covenant to access services.   

“But this is a lottery, made worse by the unpredictability and mobility of service life. When trying to access healthcare, each move can send Service families to the bottom of waiting lists for treatment.”

The report found that “while the Covenant has had a positive influence on the lives of the Armed Forces community, it remains a work in progress.

Labour promised in their election manifesto to make the covenant legally binding, a measure welcomed by the committee who called for clear standards by which to judge actions of signatories to be designed and shared to ensure that society can “live up to the Covenant’s promise to our Armed Forces.”