We’ve seen a vital step forward. But the Government must still do more to uphold the Armed Forces Covenant

Yesterday saw the committee stage of the 2015 Armed Forces Bill. As a consequence of the 17^th century struggle between Crown and Parliament – resulting in the 1688 Bill of Rights – an Armed Forces Bill is required every five years to raise a peacetime standing Army. However, it also provides MPs with the opportunity to improve service disciplinary procedures and ensure that the immense sacrifices undertaken by our Forces Personnel, veterans, and their families are properly honoured.

The 2015 Armed Forces Bill is no exception. As part of the Bill, the Government has committed to provide armed forces veterans who have contracted mesothelioma disease the same amount of compensation that their civilian counterparts receive. Up until now, those who have served our country with unparalleled bravery and professionalism have been losing out on up to £150,000 in compensation owing to the service, clearly in breach of the Armed Forces Covenant.

Ministers have backed down on this only because of the excellent campaigning of the Royal British Legion, and because Labour has pushed the Government every step of the way. We have tabled amendments at every stage of the Bill, triggering the debates that have got us to where we are now.  As a result, veterans who suffer from mesothelioma can now receive a lump sum of up to £140,000.

The Labour Party has long campaigned to give mesothelioma sufferers the justice they deserve. Caused by exposure to asbestos, mesothelioma is a truly awful and appalling disease that has no cure. Trade unions and victims groups have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Labour MPs for decades in the fight for justice. It was Labour MPs who, in the last Parliament, pushed the Government into seeing through the work of the last Labour administration and providing proper levels of compensation.

The Royal British Legion believes that over 2,500 mostly Navy Personnel will develop mesothelioma over the next 40 years. It is a long tail disease, meaning that symptoms do not appear until years after exposure. However, once diagnosed sufferers often have just months to live, so yesterday’s announcement from the Government could not have come too soon.

We are also delighted that a number of other amendments to the Bill tabled by Labour have also found favour with the Government. As a result of our proposals, Ministers will now have to publish a comprehensive record of sexual assault and rape in the Forces. This comes on the back of the steps taken by the last Labour Government to introduce a Service Complaints Commissioner, as well as our successful campaign to introduce a more powerful Armed Forces Ombudsman in the last Parliament. All of these steps have allowed for greater transparency and protection for those serving in our Armed Forces. They have strengthened the Forces justice system immeasurably, and have been central to our country’s efforts to bolster the Armed Forces Covenant.

The steps taken yesterday by the Government regarding veterans who suffer from mesothelioma disease have repaired one of the breaches of the Covenant. However, a recent annual update on the Covenant showed that delivery of it remains worryingly patchy in places, and it is clear that the Government has not done enough to promote it within the Services. Labour and many service charities have long called for an audit of what local authorities are being asked to do and what resources they are being given to do it. Ministers must urgently get on with this so that we can develop a better understanding of the implementation of the Covenant on the ground, which is fundamental to its success or failure.

Furthermore, with the prospect of further real terms cuts to Forces’ pay and terms of service being eroded, there is clearly a gap between the rhetoric used by the Government and what is happening in the Armed Forces community.

Yesterday’s announcement on veterans who suffer from mesothelioma is very welcome, and is a great victory for those who have campaigned long and hard for this injustice to be recognised and ameliorated. This time of year our thoughts are always with our Forces Personnel, many of whom will be spending Christmas apart from their families and loved ones. We should not rest until the immense sacrifices that all our servicemen and women, veterans, and their families is properly recognised, and until the central principle of the Covenant – that those who serve the UK with such distinction should never be disadvantaged by that very service – is fully upheld.

Kevan Jones MP is the Shadow Minister for the Armed Forces