Armed Forces (Minimum Age of Recruitment) Bill

House of Commons

Session 1999-2000
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Other Bills before Parliament

Armed Forces (Minimum Age of Recruitment) Bill

This is the text of the Armed Forces (Minimum Age of Recruitment) Bill, as presented to the House of Commons on 17th May 2000.

Armed Forces (Minimum Age of Recruitment) Bill

ARRANGEMENT OF CLAUSES

Clause

1. General prohibition on recruitment of persons under eighteen to serve in the Armed Forces.

2. Prohibition on enlistment of persons under the age of eighteen in the armed forces.

3. Prohibition on call-out of persons in the reserve forces under the age of eighteen.

4. Power to make transitional and consequential provisions.

5. Short title, application and commencement.

A
B I L L
TO
Prohibit the recruitment of persons under the age of eighteen into the regular forces, the regular air forces and the Royal Navy; to prohibit the calling up of members of the reserve forces who are under eighteen years of age; 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:-

General prohibition on recruitment of persons under eighteen to serve in the Armed Forces.     1. - (1) Notwithstanding any provisions of any other enactment, it shall be unlawful for any person to offer to enlist another person who is under the age of eighteen years in the regular forces, the regular air forces or the Royal Navy.

    (2) In subsection (1) above-

"regular forces" has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Army Act 1955; and

"regular air forces" has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Air Force Act 1955.

Prohibition on enlistment of persons under the age of eighteen in the armed forces.     2. - (1) In section 2 (enlistment) of the Army Act 1955-

(a) in subsection (3), the words from "appropriate minimum age" to the end of the subsection, and

(b) in subsection (5), the words from "the age of eighteen" to the end of the subsection,

shall be omitted.

    (2) In section 2 (enlistment) of the Air Force Act 1955-

(a) in subsection (3), the words from "appropriate minimum age" to the end of the subsection, and

(b) in subsection (5), the words from "the age of eighteen" to the end of the subsection,

shall be omitted.

    (3) In section 9 (consents to entry of young persons into Royal Navy) of the Armed Forces Act 1966-

(a) in subsection (1), the words from "the Royal Navy" to the end of the subsection, and

(b) in subsection (3), the words from "the age of eighteen" to the end of the subsection,

shall be omitted.

Prohibition on call-out of persons in the reserve forces under the age of eighteen.     3. - (1) The Reserve Forces Act 1996 shall be amended as follows.

    (2) In section 50 (liability of members of the reserve forces under call-out orders)-

(a) in subsection (1), after the words "Members of a reserve force" there shall be inserted the words "who have attained the appropriate minimum age"; and

(b) after subsection (6), there shall be inserted-

    "(7) In this section, "appropriate minimum age" has the same meaning as in section 2 of the Army Act 1955."

Power to make transitional and consequential provisions.     4. - (1) The Secretary of State may by regulations make such transitional and consequential provisions as he considers necessary or expedient in preparation for, in connection with, or in consequence of the coming into force of, this Act.

    (2) Regulations under this section-

(a) may make modifications of any other enactment; and

(b) shall be made by statutory instrument which shall be subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House.

Short title, application and commencement.     5. - (1) This Act may be cited as the Armed Forces (Minimum Age of Recruitment) Act 2000.

    (2) This Act binds the Crown.

    (3) This Act shall come into force on 1st January 2002.

© Parliamentary copyright 2000
Prepared 22 May 2000