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Military Action against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Bill

This is the text of the Military Action against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 26th January 1999.

 
 
  
Military Action against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Bill
 
 
 
 
ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES
Clause 
1.Military action against Iraq.
2.Meaning of approval by the House of Commons.
3.Interpretation.
4.Short title.
 

 

 
 
A

B I L L

TO

Require the prior approval, by a simple majority of the House of Commons, of military action by United Kingdom forces against Iraq.

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:-
 

Military action against Iraq.     1. No Minister of the Crown or other person who acts or who purports to act on behalf of the Crown shall instruct, urge or incite any member of Her Majesty's armed forces to take military action against the territory, possessions or people of the Republic of Iraq without the prior approval of the House of Commons.
 
Meaning of approval by the House of Commons.     2. - (1) The approval of the House of Commons shall be deemed to have been given to the taking of military action against Iraq when the House has agreed a resolution in terms which express approval of the proposed military action.
 
      (2) If military action does not commence within a period of thirty days beginning with the date on which the resolution was agreed to, the approval of the House shall be deemed to have lapsed.
 
Interpretation.     3. In this Act-
 
 
    "military action" includes-
 
      (a) action by any armed forces whether based on land or sea and whether overt or covert, and
 
      (b) the firing of any missile or other device from any platform;
 
    "possessions" includes any structure, ship, hovercraft, aircraft or vehicle belonging to Iraq, whether or not within the borders or territorial waters of the Republic of Iraq;
 
    "Republic of Iraq" includes all land and sea within the borders or territorial waters of the Republic of Iraq (Jumhuriya al Iraq) as recognised by the United Nations.
Short title.     4. This Act may be cited as the Military Action against Iraq (Parliamentary Approval) Act 1999.
 
 

 
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