The Ministry of Defence welcomes the Select Committee’s special report on the Armed Forces Bill 2026, HC 1712.

The Department continues to support the appointment of a Select Committee for Armed Forces Bills, recognising that their work ensures transparency and proper scrutiny of the legislation.

I am extremely grateful for this Committee’s thorough and constructive consideration of the Bill. The report reflects the Committee’s support for the improvements that this Government are seeking to make through this Bill: to deliver better housing, better support and better protections for our armed forces personnel, and to provide for the expansion and earlier mobilisation of the strategic reserves.

The Committee’s conclusions and recommendations have been considered, and detailed responses have been provided in the attached MOD response. A copy of the MOD response has also been placed in the Library of the House and published on the Armed Forces Bill 2026 page at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/armed-forces-bill-2026

I am pleased that the vast majority of the Committee’s recommendations are supported. This includes the two at paragraphs 20 and 65, which recommend minor amendments to the provisions for the covenant legal duty extension and to protections orders respectively. The Government intend to bring forward amendments to make these changes.

There are, however, a small number of recommendations that the Department does not support or is unable to accept in full. For these recommendations, a detailed explanation of the Department’s position has been provided or an alternative approach has been set out, as appropriate.

Given the Committee’s considerable interest in the practical implementation of the armed forces covenant legal duty, and for transparency purposes to aid discussions during the remaining Bill stages, the Ministry of Defence is also publishing today on gov.uk a draft version of the statutory guidance. This guidance has been developed collaboratively across Government to ensure it is fit for purpose, and feedback on it will continue to be sought from a wide range of stakeholders.

I look forward to continuing to engage with Members across the House as the Bill progresses through its remaining stages in the Commons.

Attachments can be found at https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2026-05-19/HCWS41

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