Armed Forces Bill report: What it says on housing, military justice and the reserves

MPs have backed reforms in the Armed Forces Bill but warned that changes to military housing, service justice and the reserves will need proper delivery if they are to make a practical difference.

The Select Committee on the Armed Forces Bill said it supported the measures in the bill, but highlighted repeated concerns over implementation and accountability.

The Armed Forces Bill is normally passed every five years and gives Parliament's official consent for the UK to maintain standing Armed Forces.

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It is a constitutional requirement which dates back to the Bill of Rights 1689. In modern times, the bills are an opportunity to update legislation relating to the military. 

The Government is expected to publish its response to the committee's report within two months.

Housing: New body, old problems

One of the most significant changes is the creation of a new Defence Housing Service, which would take over the management of defence housing directly from the MOD.

The report links the move to long-running problems across military family housing, including poor contractor performance, sub-standard repairs, damp and mould, and low satisfaction among families.

The committee noted that under-investment and a "fix on fail" maintenance approach had left two-thirds of Service Family Accommodation in 2023/24 in such poor condition that it was no longer fit for purpose. 

The new Defence Housing Service is part of a 10-year plan backed by £9bn to modernise or upgrade around 43,000 defence homes. 

But MPs warned that structural reform alone will not fix the housing estate unless there is stable long-term funding and stronger contractor accountability. 

They recommended enforceable penalties for poor performance, independent inspections of refurbishment and maintenance work, better monitoring of customer satisfaction and an effective complaints process.

More protection for victims in the Service Justice System

The bill aims to make changes to the Service Justice System, including adding new powers aimed at protecting victims of domestic abuse, sexual harm, stalking and harassment.

The committee welcomed measures including a victims' code of practice and an expanded duty on commanding officers to report serious offences.

But MPs warned that proper training and education would be needed for the changes to be implemented, particularly for those dealing with victims and reporting routes.

The report said there were concerns over whether commanding officers had the right training to handle reports of offences, and recommended a review of training as well as better communication to personnel about alternative ways of reporting crimes. 

The committee also examined the issue of concurrent jurisdiction, where a case could be handled either through the civilian justice system or the service justice system.

It recommended that the Government should not rule out automatic civilian jurisdiction in future if evidence shows that would lead to better outcomes for victims. 

MPs also called for independent research into conviction rates for serious sexual offences in the service and civilian justice systems. 

Regulars vs Reserves

The bill would make it easier for personnel to move between the Regulars and the Reserves, removing the current process where someone leaving the Regular Armed Forces has to be formally discharged before re-joining as a Reservist.

The committee described that system as absurd and backed the bill's aim of allowing personnel to "zigzag" between full-time service and reserve service. 

The bill would also change recall rules, including raising the maximum age for non-officer reservists to 65 and standardising liability across the single services.

But MPs warned that the reforms focus mainly on the Strategic Reserve and will have limited impact on the Government's separate ambition to increase the Active Reserve by 20%.

The committee also called for more detail on how that target will be achieved, as well as better systems to identify, track and manage reservists. 

It also warned that, in a mobilisation scenario, care would be needed to avoid recalling reservists who hold critical civilian roles in the defence industry, such as munitions production.