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