Debate contribution: Armed Forces Covenant and Armed Forces Bill

Debate contribution by Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly on 5 October 2026.

MLA: Mrs Emma Little-Pengelly
Party at the time: Democratic Unionist Party
Date: 5 October 2026
Type: Debate contribution
Business: Oral Answers to Questions
Heading: Armed Forces Covenant and Armed Forces Bill
Assembly identifier: Official Report component 5774201

Text

With your permission, Mr Speaker, I will answer questions 4 and 6 together. I may therefore take slightly longer than the allocated two minutes. The armed forces covenant has not been formally adopted by the Executive. While Northern Ireland Departments have not all signed up to the covenant through Executive endorsement, significant work is happening across some Departments. It is important to say that the Armed Forces Act 2021 applies. That Act places a statutory duty on, for example, housing, education and health services to have due regard to the armed forces covenant. I do not know why that is not talked about more — it rarely comes up in discussions on the matter — but there is a statutory duty of due regard. The Executive Office has received correspondence on veterans' issues and on the Armed Forces Bill, which aims to build on the armed forces legislation from 2021 and include more public bodies.
The correspondence remains under consideration, and the Executive Office continues to consider correspondence received in relation to veterans issues and the Armed Forces Bill.

179 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

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