Armed Forces Commissioner: Govt introduces proposed legislation in Parliament

Recalling that there was very senior retired officer opposition to the previous Service Complaints Commissioner legislation in the House of Lords, I trust that BAFF will continue to monitor progress of the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill in the House of Lords, and remain ready to respond quickly.

• BAFF 2015 article: Lord Craig of Radley: Cancel the Service Complaints Ombudsman legislation

The House of Commons Bill Committee, which is considering the proposed legislation to establish an Armed Forces Commissioner, has called for evidence with a rather short deadline:

• Armed Forces Bill Commissioner - call for evidence

Thanks. This is a Research Briefing published last week by the ever-informative House of Commons Library:

• Research Briefing: Armed Forces Commissioner Bill 2024-2025

The Armed Forces Commissioner Bill has now had its Second Reading in the House of Commons.

• Armed Forces Commissioner Bill debated on 18 November 2024

As foreshadowed in the Labour Party's election manifesto as previously reported by BAFF, the Government has now introduced the proposed legislation which it describes as "The first ever independent champion for serving personnel and their families."

According to the MoD announcement :

In the next step of this government’s commitment to improving service life, the government has introduced the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill today (6 Nov 2024) – the first ever independent champion for serving personnel and their families.The bill introduced today, which was included in The King’s Speech in July, is the first step in legislating for the brand-new role which is welcomed by serving personnel. This is the first step of our work to renew the contract between the nation and those who serveThe Commissioner will be a direct point of contact for serving personnel and their families to raise issues which impact service life, from equipment to housing and unacceptable behaviours. With powers to visit defence sites unannounced and commission reports, the Commissioner will hold defence to account and drive improvements to service life. The Commissioner will report to Parliament through annual and one-off thematic reports. 

Would an Armed Forces Commissioner replace any need for an independent BAFF?

What line should BAFF take in commenting on and responding to the legislation?

Member comments and questions welcome.