Key Facts

• New Clause 19 proposes creating an Armed Forces Federation.
• The federation will represent members of the armed forces in matters affecting their welfare and efficiency.
• The Secretary of State may prescribe the constitution and proceedings of the Federation through regulations.
• New clause 4 aims to establish a representative body for the armed forces.
• The Ministry of Defence has the fifth-largest budget in Whitehall.
• The MOD's size is comparable to that of cities like Dundee or Brighton.
• A private school allowance is available across ranks but is predominantly used by commissioned officers.
• New clause 19 is designed to establish a federation for the armed forces.
• The proposal aims to provide independent advice and representation on welfare and pay issues without conducting industrial action or insubordination.
• Other nations like the US and Australia have similar models embedded into their military command structures.
• New clauses seek to create a representative body for armed forces through primary legislation similar to the Police Federation.
• The X-Factor addition to basic military pay is currently at 14.5% and recognises special conditions of military life.
• Service personnel can participate in town hall meetings with Ministers and senior officers to discuss issues and developments.
• The Armed Forces Act 2006 was drafted before the adoption of gender-neutral language in legislation.
• Successive Governments have deemed gender-neutral drafting essential since March 8, 2007.
• New primary legislation is currently drafted using gender-neutral language.
• The new clause amends the Armed Forces Act 2006 by inserting provisions related to alcohol, drug, and gambling disorder support.
• Combat Stress confirms that military personnel are more likely to suffer from substance misuse problems than civilians.
• There is only one veteran-specific addiction treatment facility in the UK—Tom Harrison House—in Anfield, Liverpool.
• The Defence Transition Services were set up last year to support service leavers.
• There is a new clause requiring reports on Operation Banner veterans every 12 months after the Act's passage.
• The minister offers to meet with the MP and visit Tom Harrison House.
• New clause 7 aims to secure commitment for Northern Ireland veterans.
• Operation Banner lasted from 1969 to 2007, resulting in the deaths of 1,441 armed forces members.
• The amendment calls for a report on the effects of Operation Banner on those individuals and their mental health support needs.
• The Local Government Association recognised challenges in identifying veterans within communities.
• New clause 15 aims to ensure that veterans and reservists are captured by public services when they first access them.
• The new clause includes asking if the person has previously served in the armed forces, not just being a veteran.
• No tiered system exists for recognising different groups of veterans.
• Operation Banner was a challenging environment for Northern Ireland veterans.
• The Prime Minister has committed to ending prosecutions or proceedings against those who served in Northern Ireland without new evidence.
• The Office for Veterans' Affairs was created in 2019, marking the Government's commitment to veterans.
• An annual veterans report will set out progress on delivering objectives and improving data collection.
• The review of welfare services provided to all veterans living in Northern Ireland is currently underway.
• The issue involves Northern Ireland veterans who served in Operation Banner.
• There is a concern about the treatment of these veterans facing prosecutions for actions taken during service.
• Johnny Mercer asserts that he is the first veteran Minister and will bring forward legislation to protect those involved.
• New Clause 8 aims to amend the Armed Forces Act 2006 to include financial comparisons for service personnel.
• New Clause 10 proposes that public bodies must consider matters related to the Secretary of State in preparing policies.
• New Clause 14 mandates inclusion of specific statistics on veterans' contact with services, employment success rates, homelessness, and suicide in annual reports.
• The statement addresses the impact of government decisions on armed forces pay since 2010.
• A private earned £17,014 per annum in 2010; by today's standards, they should earn £22,338 but only earn £20,400.
• James Sunderland reminds Members to formally intervene and stay on mute when not speaking.
• The new clause would build a conscious commitment to all aspects of the covenant into the framework of Government public policy.
• New clause 14 calls on the Government to record and report the number of veterans or families contacting support services annually.
• In July to September 2020, 460 households reported additional support needs due to armed forces service.
• New clauses propose additional reporting requirements for terms and conditions of service personnel.
• The Armed Forces Pay Review Body already provides annual reports to Parliament.
• An annual veterans report is planned to track progress in delivering support for veterans.
• Clause 11 proposes a housing report on minimum standards for armed forces accommodation.
• According to the armed forces continuous attitude survey, 40% of tri-service personnel live in single living accommodation and 31% in service families accommodation.
• A third of both groups are dissatisfied with the overall quality of their accommodation.
• There is a £1.5 billion backlog of repairs for service housing.
• 29% of personnel say that accommodation increases their propensity to leave.
• Defence has invested £1.2 billion over the last decade in single living accommodation (SLA).
• An additional £78 million will be invested by 2022 as part of a wider £200 million upgrade programme.
• 96.9% of Service Family Accommodation (SFA) properties meet or exceed the decent homes standard.
• The current fee for an indefinite leave to remain application is £243.
• More than 6,000 personnel serve in the forces from overseas.
• Commonwealth service leavers with a family can face a bill of almost £10,000 to continue living in the UK after discharge.
• The time before discharge for settlement applications has been extended from 10 to 18 weeks.
• A public consultation will be launched within the next month.
• New Clause 14 and 15 aim to improve data collection on veterans.
• New Clause 16 requires quarterly reporting on infantry battalion soldier strength, including the percentage of battle-ready soldiers per battalion.
• The first report under new clause 16 must be laid within three months after the Act is passed.
• Promises made in 2010 regarding a larger defence budget were not kept.
• There have been cuts to numbers in the Royal Navy, including the Royal Marines, and the Royal Air Force since 2010.
• Brave members of armed forces were compulsorily redundant during the coalition government period.
• The Government already publishes detailed information on service personnel statistics quarterly.
• Reporting specific infantry battalion strengths would expose potential weaknesses to adversaries.
• Focusing solely on infantry strength could undermine the integrated approach to national security.
• The ban on LGBT+ personnel serving in the armed forces was lifted 21 years ago.
• Between the mid-1950s and 1996, service members were subjected to interrogations, medical inspections, and criminal charges for being gay.
• Administrative dismissals of LGBT+ personnel continued until January 2000.
• Johnny Mercer is the first Minister to apologise for past discriminatory policies against LGBT individuals in the military.
• The Ministry of Defence, Cabinet Office, Home Office, and Office for Veterans’ Affairs are involved in addressing these issues.
• Fighting with Pride and Stonewall are working with the Government on restorative justice mechanisms.
• The formal report to the House will be delayed until after the Committee's special private report.