King's Speech 2024 - Armed Forces Commissioner Bill

Armed Forces Commissioner Bill 

“A Bill will be introduced to establish a statutory Armed Forces Commissioner to act as a strong independent champion for our gallant Armed Forces and their families”

• The men and women of our Armed Forces serve our country with dedication and risk their lives for this country, and they are at the heart of our security. 

• We will strengthen our support for our Armed Forces communities with a new Armed Forces Commissioner to act as a strong independent champion for our service personnel and their families.

What does the Bill do? 

• Over the last decade, we have seen morale amongst our armed forces personnel hit record lows and a crisis in recruitment and retention. We need to renew the contract with those who dedicate their lives to serve, and their families, and ensure their needs are represented by a strong, independent voice. That's why, in legislation, we are establishing an Armed Forces Commissioner.
• The Bill will create the Commissioner and give them the necessary powers to champion our Armed Forces and improve service life. The Commissioner will:

Territorial extent and application 

• The Bill will extend and apply UK-wide.

Key facts

• Morale of our Armed Forces has hit record lows, and we are facing a recruitment and retention crisis. The Armed Forces Continuous Attitude Survey has shown a fall in morale in our Armed Forces over the last decade. It has also indicated systemic challenges in terms of retaining our personnel. 

• The remit of the existing Service Complaints Ombudsman is too narrow. The Ombudsman can only look into individual complaints, following completion of the Service Complaints process. Their remit is reactive and does not allow proactive investigations into issues facing our Armed Forces.   

• Feedback from the German Armed Forces Commissioner, which has provided inspiration for this Bill, demonstrates strong support from German personnel for this role.