National Service Bill (HC Bill 32)
A
BILL
TO
Provide a system of national service for young persons; and for connected
purposes.
Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and
consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present
Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—
1 National service system
(1)
Every individual who has attained the age of 18 years, and who has not
attained the age of 26 years, shall be liable to serve one year of national service
at some point between these years unless exempt.
(2) 5Exempt individuals are those with severe mental or physical disability.
(3)
National service shall be defined as participation in a full time scheme
accredited by HM Government as meeting the requirements of national service
and set out in regulations by the Secretary of State.
(4)
Non-exempt individuals who do not serve one year of national service before
10the age of 26 years shall be guilty of an offence.
2 Scope of the scheme
(1)
Regulations shall provide that the scheme must extend the scope of the
National Citizen Service and include the following elements—
(a)
educational assistance for those participants who have yet to attain
15basic educational requirements of reading and writing in English and
mathematics;
(b)
coaching and instruction to attain basic levels of physical fitness,
personal discipline, smart appearance, self respect and respect for
others;
(c)
20instruction in personal financial budgeting, household bills, nutrition,
cooking, time keeping, life skills, tolerance towards others, treating
elderly and disabled people with dignity and respect; and
(d)
instruction in basic aspects of the law in relation to the most common
offences involving young people.
National Service BillPage 2
(2) Regulations shall also provide that the scheme shall include—
(a)
a residential element, requiring that participants live away from home;
and
(b)
an element of public service, comprising one or more of the following
5to be chosen by the individual—
(i) charitable work,
(ii) social action,
(iii) care for the elderly or disabled,
(iv) overseas development activity, or
(v)
10work connected with the National Health Service, the
emergency services or the Armed Forces.
3 Pay and tax allowance for participants
(1)
Participants in national service shall be paid the national adult minimum wage
during their year of service with accommodation and travel funded by the
15Secretary of State.
(2)
Regulations shall provide that a person who has successfully completed their
year of national service shall be presented with a national service certificate
which shall entitle them to a lifetime income tax rate personal allowance 10 per
cent above the personal allowance that would otherwise apply.
4 20Interpretation
In this Act “national adult minimum wage” means the minimum wage as
specified under section 2 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and
exemptions and modifications set out in section 3 of that Act shall not apply.
5 Financial provision
25There shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament—
(a) any expenditure of the Secretary of State in consequence of this Act, and
(b)
any increase attributable to this Act in the sums which under any other Act
are payable out of money so provided.
6 Offence
30Regulations shall provide for those guilty of an offence under section 1(4) to be
subject to a penalty.
7 Regulations
Regulations under this Act shall be made by statutory instrument and may not
be made unless a draft of the regulations have been laid before, and approved
35by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.
8 Short title, commencement and extent
(1) This Act may be cited as the National Service Act 2013.
(2) This Act comes into force one year after Royal Assent.
(3) This Act extends to England and Wales.