Military covenant 'well and truly broken'

Tuesday, 17 June 2008 12:00 AM

The military covenant between the army and population is "well and truly broken" a Tory commission has said.

It recommends giving soldiers' families more assistance with healthcare, schooling and housing.

The commission was set up in March by David Cameron after a tidal wave of concern about the state of the armed forced hit the front pages. Chaired by the author Frederick Forsyth, the party is under no obligation to take up its recommendations but it is expected to accept most of them.

Indeed, the government's plans are to be unveiled next week and are widely expected to overlap with those of the commission.

Among its recommendations are an expansion of the military covenants into the rules of all three armed forces, as opposed to just the army.

Military families would also enjoy additional funding towards their children's education, guaranteed access to an NHS dentist and the freedom to take their NHS waiting list position with them when they move to a new area.

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