The Service Complaints Ombudsman for the Armed Forces has laid her 2025 annual report before Parliament, covering the fairness, effectiveness, and efficiency of the service complaints system in what is Mariette Hughes’ fifth and final year in the role.
The Minister for Veterans and People, Louise Sandher-Jones, made a written statement to Parliament on 14 May confirming the report’s publication. She said the findings would be considered fully by the Ministry of Defence, with a formal response to be directed to the new Armed Forces Commissioner once that work is complete.
You can read the statement here.
The Armed Forces Commissioner is a newly created independent role with powers to investigate issues raised directly by serving personnel and their families, challenge ministers and military leaders, and report directly to Parliament. The creation of the role represents a significant expansion of independent oversight of service welfare compared to the outgoing ombudsman model, which was limited to reviewing complaints that had already passed through the internal service complaints process.
Sandher-Jones said the government’s commitment to supporting service personnel and their families to come forward and raise issues was unwavering, adding that with demands on defence rising it was right to continue stepping up support for those serving and their families.
The Service Complaints Ombudsman role was established under the Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Act 2015, replacing the earlier Service Complaints Commissioner. Hughes has held the post since 2021. The transition to the Armed Forces Commissioner model follows recommendations that the existing system lacked sufficient independence and proactive investigative power to adequately address the range of welfare and conduct issues affecting service personnel.
I just wonder how many hundreds of thousands of £s she has been paid over her 5 year of producing nothing for the people she was sent in to represent. As a 60+ has-been I can give a free appraisal that will cost zero £ to the MoD or government.
With the armed forces being seriously under staffed at every level the pressures on them and their families are forcing personnel who would normally consider longer terms in the forces to pull the pin adding to the staffing problems, that on top of the government making it so difficult to actually join the forces with youngsters having to wait 18 to 24 months for a start date when most 18 year olds find waiting 18 hour a problem.
This has been compounded by the lack of equipment, lack of spear parts, lack of investment in the armed forces in general and a string of governments that have seen the armed forces as draw back rather than an asset.
The UK needs to invest in its people and some of the best people in the UK come through the Armed forces so it should be a no-brainer that we need to invest in more trained personnel but I am assuming there is a brain behind the governments thinking, assumption being the MOAFU
Steven, don’t you think that service personnel should have a professional complaints system that is independent of the Chain of Command? The numerous problems in Defence that you mention are very different issues. This is not to do with a ‘need to invest in trained personnel’.
I can recall at least two problems in my service career that I could not raise as the complaints system was within the Chain of Command.
Sadly a lot is talked about, promissed, looked at but bugger all is done. If are serving you got more to do with less. Retention has got better but will lack of kit etc it will soon flat line, joining take ages by which time a lot give up. This is what happens when its farmed out to civis delay after delay, good people lost a both ends due to cost cutting and those in charge simply not giving a dam as does not effect them.
The old put up and shut up, make do and mend does not work, time has moved on, the Armed forces needs to see that but more so those in high places need not just think of thier own careers and address the under lying problems of cost cutting anf selfish leadership as some levels.
Good peole join but too may are let go too easily,