A new Armed Forces watchdog will be a “powerful independent voice” for service men and women, Defence Secretary John Healey has said.
The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill will establish the Armed Forces Commissioner role and their office, replacing the Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces.
The Commissioner will have the power to hear directly from service personnel and family members on the concerns connected with their service, and to investigate personal concerns as well as launch wide ranging investigations.
They will also have the power to demand access to information and service premises to facilitate investigations, and visits can be unannounced if they’re in the UK.
During the Bill’s second reading Mr Healey told MPs: “This is significant, and it is long overdue, and it’s long overdue, because for the last 14 years, the forces have been badly let down.
“The Conservatives have created a crisis in recruitment, a crisis in retention, a crisis in morale and last year the strength of the Armed Forces fell at the fastest rate for a decade, with 300 more personnel leaving than joining every month and last year service morale fell to its lowest record level.
“Only four in 10 of our forces personnel report being satisfied with service life, while the impact on families and on personal life was the leading factor they report influencing their decision to leave.”
He said: “A Government delivering for defence and delivering our manifesto commitment to establish that Commissioner as an independent champion for our forces and their families to improve service life.
“The Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for serving personnel and their families who can raise concerns which may impact on their service lives and their ability to serve.
“Everything from kit to food to housing, to medical care, to study programs, to promotions, to childcare, to support for spouses in work.”
Conservative MP Harriet Cross (Gordon and Bucha) asked where the Commissioner would fall in the chain of command, to which Mr Healey said they would be “independent”, with powers that “do not depend or account to in any way the chain of command”.
Shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge said the Tories would be supporting the Bill, but raised issues on the impact it could have on “operational effectiveness”.
He said: “If this new Office of the Commissioner genuinely exposes cultural weaknesses and hidden systemic problems that would otherwise not have been disclosed or would take longer to emerge it should be welcome.
“That said, this extra transparency cannot be at the expense of operational effectiveness.
“That is why one of the most significant issues we all want to probe further is the interaction between the commissioner and the chain of command, especially in sensitive operational settings.”
Mr Cartlidge also questioned the cost of the Office which he claimed is “higher than that of the current ombudsman, and overall in the region of approximately £5 million” annually.
He further called for all children of armed forces personnel to be exempt from the VAT rise on private schools, stating: “many such families do not receive continuity of education allowance and will have to cover a 20% hike in fees from their taxed income”.
Chairman of the Defence Select committee Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi also welcomed the passing of the Bill as fulfilment of one of Labour’s manifesto pledges, but criticised the lack of time for scrutiny the committee had been given.
The Labour MP for Slough said: “We had hoped to have time to take account of the views of representatives of Armed Forces communities, as well as the Service Complaints Ombudsman, but the pace of events made that impossible.”
On the person who would take up the role he said: “Expectations of the new Armed Forces Commissioner will be high.
“They will need to be a strong character with the best interests of the armed forces in mind.
“They will need to be prepared for questions and challenge, but also to understand and bring support and change hearts and minds.
“This success will likely ultimately depend on the support and trust of the armed forces, including the chain of command.”
The Bill was given an unopposed second reading by MPs, and will undergo further scrutiny at a later date.
