FAQs – The Covenant
Answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about the Covenant are provided below.
Understanding the Covenant
Please see About the Covenant for an introduction to the Covenant, and The Covenant in depth to read about the Covenant in more detail.
The underlying principles are the same in both, but the Covenant pledge and the Covenant Legal Duty are different as follows:
- Voluntary vs legal obligation:
- Signing a Covenant pledge is a promise that organisations voluntarily implement.
- The Legal Duty is a legal obligation that affected organisations must abide by.
- Organisations affected: Any organisation in the public, private and third sectors can sign a pledge to implement the Covenant. The Duty affects certain organisations in the public sector only.
- Some organisations have signed a Covenant pledge but are not subject to the Duty. For example, certain private businesses.
- Some organisations have not signed a pledge but are subject to the Duty. For example, certain maintained schools.
- Some organisations have both signed a pledge and are subject to the Duty. For example, certain local authorities.
- Circumstances covered: The Covenant pledge covers broader circumstances than the Legal Duty:
- The Covenant pledge covers all areas of an organisation’s activity. However, the Duty applies in particular policy areas.
- The members of the Armed Forces community covered by the Duty are defined precisely by the legislation. However, the Covenant pledge can include wider groups, such as certain members of the Merchant Navy.
- Definitions:
- The Covenant pledge is defined by the statement of the Covenant. It came into existence on 16 May 2011 when it was published by the then Secretary of State for Defence, Dr Liam Fox.
- The Duty is defined by Part 16A of the Armed Forces Act 2006. It came into existence through the Armed Forces Act 2021, and it came into force on 22 November 2022.
No. As explained in Q2, Covenant pledges and the Covenant Legal Duty are relevant to different organisations. Also, the Covenant pledge covers broader circumstances than the Legal Duty. Therefore, Covenant pledges are still beneficial, even for organisations also subject to the Legal Duty.
The statement of the Covenant says it is ‘The People of the United Kingdom’ and ‘His Majesty’s Government’ with this obligation towards the UK Armed Forces, so the Covenant is not an obligation on citizens, governments, and organisations of other countries. Members of the Armed Forces community experiencing difficulties when dealing with organisations in other countries should take this up through other routes. For example, the chain of command or one of the wider sources of support.
The Covenant does apply when British organisations provide goods or services to members of the Armed Forces community who are abroad.
No. The statement of the Covenant says it is for ‘All those who serve or have served in the Armed Forces of the Crown, and their Families’, and this does not include other countries’ Armed Forces (except this could include members of British Overseas Territory Forces, and their families).
Implementing the Covenant
Please see the Organisations page to access ideas for how different types of organisation can implement the Covenant.
Please see Sign the Covenant for full information on how to sign the Covenant.
Yes. The UK Government and Devolved Administrations work to implement the Covenant principles in policy development and decision making. The UK Government is statutorily required to present to Parliament a Covenant Annual Report each year. This covers their progress in delivering the Covenant across all four home nations of the UK.
The term ‘Armed Forces Champion’ is not defined in legislation, and is used slightly differently by different organisations. Other terms are also used, such as ‘Armed Forces Advocate’ or ‘Service Pupil Champion’. Broadly, it is an individual, or a team of individuals, who:
- advocates for the Armed Forces community and the Covenant within their organisation,
- co-ordinates their organisation’s internal and external activities relating to the Armed Forces and the Covenant, and/or
- is the point of contact for members of the Armed Forces community who want to raise issues with someone in the organisation who will understand the unique circumstances of their Service life.
Resolving disputes
Concerns should initially be raised with the organisation concerned, by following their standard complaints process.
Complaints that remain unresolved can be referred by the complainant to the relevant ombudsman. The key public sector ombudsmen are: Public Service Ombudsman for Wales, Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, Northern Ireland Public Services Ombudsman, and in England, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman, Housing Ombudsman, or Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.
For more information about the Covenant, please see:
