Member

The Bill seeks to build on and expand the role of the Service Complaints Ombudsman. That will allow the new commissioner to continue to respond on, and help with, specific issues, but crucially it will also enable him or her to conduct wider inquiries, and to investigate issues that affect general service welfare, including those affecting families. All that will be critical to the future success of our armed forces. The commissioner must be independent and free from Government interference, and must present a report to Parliament annually. I suspect that Ministers will not look forward to that event, as they will rightly be held to account not only by the commissioner but Members from all parts of the House, and indeed the public.