In response to the Defence Committee report into the Armed Forces Covenant released on 8 April, Andy Cole OBE, Chief Executive of veterans’ care charity, Royal Star & Garter, said:

“We welcome the Defence Committee’s report into the implementation, expansion and improvement of the Armed Forces Covenant.

“The report rightly identifies that the existing Covenant Duty does not extend to cover key public services such as social care. However, social care is an area where many in the Armed Forces community experience disadvantage.

“Our written evidence to the Committee is referenced in the report, and we strongly agree with the recommendation to extend the scope of the Covenant Duty. There should be clear guidance for those implementing the Covenant, which must be designed jointly with care providers.

“Implementing the report’s recommendations would improve the experiences of those in the Armed Forces community who rely on care services. We have already evidenced the positive impact of targeted support through our Veteran Friendly Framework programme, which helps care providers to improve their services for some of the 26,500 veterans living in care homes across England and Wales.”