Session 2010 - 12
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Other Bills before Parliament

2331

House of Commons

Notices of Amendments

given up to and including

Friday 10 June 2011

Committee of the whole House

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Armed Forces Bill

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Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

2

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  5,  leave out ‘Secretary of State’ and insert ‘Minister for

Former Armed Services Personnel’.

Gemma Doyle

Mr Kevan Jones

16

Clause  2,  page  2,  leave out lines 8 to 12 and insert—

‘The armed forces covenant report shall cover the following fields as they apply

to service people—

(a)	education;

(b)	accommodation;

(c)	healthcare;

(d)	mental healthcare;

(e)	pensions and benefits;

(f)	employment and training;

(g)	support for reservists and their employers;

(h)	the running of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme;

(i)	progress on Armed Forces rehabilitation services; and

(j)	such other fields as the External Reference Group may determine.’.

Gemma Doyle

Mr Kevan Jones

17

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  11,  after ‘housing’, insert—

‘(aa)

in the operation of inquests’.

Notices of Amendments: 10 June 2011

2332

Armed Forces Bill, continued

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

3

Clause  2,  page  2,  leave out line 11 and insert ‘including—

(a)	the operation of section 359C (Former Armed Services Personnel Rights

Charter),

(aa)	the operation of section 359D (Former Armed Services Personnel

Support Officers),

(ab)	the operation of section 359E (Financial Support for Former Armed

Services Personnel Welfare Groups),

(ac)	the operation of section 359F (Former Armed Services Personnel Policy

Forum),

(ad)	the effect of the following issues upon service people—

(i)	welfare benefits;

(ii)

housing;

(iii)

healthcare;

(iv)	education, including educational courses and training;

(v)	employment advice;

(vi)	budgetary and life skills;

(vii)

debt management;

(viii)

alcohol and drug treatment;

(ix)	relationship skills/domestic violence courses for perpetrators and

victims; and’.

Secretary Liam Fox

11

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘(2A)

In preparing an armed forces covenant report the Secretary of State must have

regard in particular to—

(a)	the unique obligations of, and sacrifices made by, the armed forces;

(b)	the principle that it is desirable to remove disadvantages arising for

service people from membership, or former membership, of the armed

forces; and

(c)	the principle that special provision for service people may be justified by

the effects on such people of membership, or former membership, of the

armed forces.’.

Secretary Liam Fox

12

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘(2B)

An armed forces covenant report must state whether, in the Secretary of State’s

opinion, any effects covered by the report are such that service people or

particular descriptions of service people are at a disadvantage as regards the field

or fields in question, when compared with other persons or such descriptions of

other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

(2C)	Where the Secretary of State’s opinion is that service people or particular

descriptions of service people are at a disadvantage as mentioned in subsection

(2B), the report must set out the Secretary of State’s response to that.’.

Notices of Amendments: 10 June 2011

2333

Armed Forces Bill, continued

Secretary Liam Fox

13

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘(2D)

As regards effects covered by an armed forces covenant report—

(a)	the Secretary of State must consider whether the making of special

provision for service people or particular descriptions of service people

would be justified; and

(b)	where the Secretary of State considers that such provision would be

justified, the report must contain a reference to that fact.’.

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

4

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  12,  at end insert—

‘(2A)

The report shall include expert recommendations on improving the welfare of

former armed services personnel.

(2B)	Expert recommendations shall include a timeframe in which these

recommendations should be implemented.

(2C)	If the Secretary of State will not implement any of the expert recommendations

as directed then he shall lay a report before Parliament explaining why they have

not been implemented, within 40 days of the laying of the armed forces covenant

report.’.

Secretary Liam Fox

14

Clause  31,  page  29,  line  3,  at end insert—

‘(1A)

Section [Call out of reserve forces] comes into force at the end of the period of

two months beginning with the day on which this Act is passed.’.

New Clauses

Call out of reserve forces

Secretary Liam Fox

NC12

To move the following Clause:—

‘In section 56 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 (call out for certain operations),

after subsection (1) insert—

“(1A)

Where—

(a)	work is approved in accordance with instructions issued by the

Defence Council under the Defence (Armed Forces) Regulations

1939 as being urgent work of national importance, and

Notices of Amendments: 10 June 2011

2334

Armed Forces Bill, continued

(b)	the Defence Council have by order under those Regulations

authorised members of any forces to be temporarily employed in

such work,

the Secretary of State may make an order authorising the calling out of

members of a reserve force for the purposes of carrying out such work.”’.

Closure or realignment of Armed Forces bases

Thomas Docherty

NC1

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)	Prior to commencing a programme of closure or realignment of Armed Forces

bases the Secretary of State must—

(a)	prepare a base closure report;

(b)	lay a copy of the report before Parliament.

(2)	The Secretary of State may not proceed with any realignment or closure of armed

forces bases without the approval of both Houses of Parliament.

(3)	In this section a “base closure report” is the recommendation of the Ministry of

Defence for the future Armed Forces basing requirements of the United Kingdom

and British Overseas Territories including the criteria used when reaching its

recommendations and the priority given to each criterion.

(4)	In this section an “Armed Forces base” is a base or series of installations

consisting of facilities necessary for the support of the British Army, Royal Navy

or Royal Air Force including security, communications, utilities, plants and

systems, or property for which the Armed Forces have responsibility.

(5)	In this section “realignment” means any action that alters the function of a base

or any action for the purpose of transitioning the base to serve another branch of

the Armed Forces.’.

Minister for Former Armed Services Personnel

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

NC2

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 359A of Armed Forces Act 2006, insert—

“359B

Minister for Former Armed Services Personnel

(1)	A Minister shall be appointed within the Cabinet Office who shall be

known as the Minister for Former Armed Services Personnel.

Notices of Amendments: 10 June 2011

2335

Armed Forces Bill, continued

(2)	The roles and responsibility of the Minister shall be set out by the

Secretary of State for the Cabinet Office by order and shall include—

(a)	Laying the Annual Armed Forces Covenant Report, in

conjunction with the Secretary of State for Defence.

(b)	Conducting such activities as shall be seen to be positive for the

well-being of former armed services personnel.

(c)	Conducting detailed and independently verifiable research to

establish a baseline on which future progress can be measured.

(3)	The Minister for Former Armed Services Personnel shall be appointed

within three months of Royal Assent to the Armed Forces Act 2011.”.’.

Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

NC3

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 359B of Armed Forces Act 2006, insert—

“359C

Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter

(1)	A Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter shall be published,

indicating the rights to assistance that former armed services personnel

shall expect.

(2)	The Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter shall be made by

a Minister of the Crown by order made by statutory instrument and

include—

(a)	the requirement to undergo a psychological assessment

immediately prior to leaving the armed forces,

(b)	the requirement of a resettlement assessment, conducted

approximately six months prior to the expected date of

discharge,

(c)	the requirement of access to advice from relevant voluntary

organisations, approximately three to four months prior to the

expected date of discharge, regarding the following possible

needs—

(i)

welfare;

(ii)

housing;

(iii)

educational course and training;

(iv)	employment advice;

(v)	budgetary and life skills;

(vi)	debt management;

(vii)

alcohol and drug treatment; and

(viii)

relationship skills/domestic violence courses.

Notices of Amendments: 10 June 2011

2336

Armed Forces Bill, continued

(d)	the requirement of back up support and advice, provided in

person, by telephone and other reasonable means, to all former

armed services personnel at any point within the first six months

following discharge,

(e)	the requirement of tailored support for former armed services

personnel in the criminal justice system,

(f)	any other relevant assistance considered necessary by the

Minister in pursuit of the improvements in former armed

services personnel welfare.

(3)	The Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter shall be published

following consultation with relevant stakeholders.

(4)	“Relevant stakeholders” includes members of veterans’ support

agencies.

(5)	The Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter shall be

introduced within one year of Royal Assent to the Armed Forces Act

2011.

(6)	The operation of the Former Armed Services Personnel Rights Charter

shall be reported upon in the Armed Forces Covenant Report.”.’.

Former armed services personnel support officers

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

NC4

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 359C of Armed Forces Act 2006, insert—

“359D

Former Armed Services Personnel Support Officers

(1)	A former armed services personnel support officer post shall be

appointed in each prison and probation service in England and Wales.

(2)	The role of the former armed services personnel support officer shall be

to ensure continuation of support in the criminal justice system.

(3)	Former armed services personnel support officers shall be appointed

within one year of Royal Assent to the Armed Forces Act 2011.

(4)	The operation of the former armed services personnel support officers

shall be reported upon in the Armed Forces Covenant Report.”.’.

Notices of Amendments: 10 June 2011

2337

Armed Forces Bill, continued

Financial support for former armed services personnel welfare groups

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

NC5

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 359D of Armed Forces Act 2006, insert—

“359E

Financial Support for Former Armed Services Personnel Welfare

Groups

(1)	Financial support shall be provided for former armed services personnel

welfare groups in each financial year to provided assistance to former

armed services personnel.

(2)	Former armed services personnel welfare groups eligible for such

financial support shall be those approved by the Minister.

(3)	The criterion for such eligibility shall be published by the Minister

following an independent scoping study into the needs of former armed

services personnel and the services currently available which will

provide a baseline for future progress.

(4)	The independent scoping study shall be published not later than one year

after the Royal Assent to the Armed Forces Act 2011.

(5)	The operation of the Financial Support for Armed Services Personnel

Welfare Groups shall be reported upon in the Armed Forces Covenant

Report.”.’.

Former Armed Services Personnel Policy Forum

Mr Elfyn Llwyd

Jeremy Corbyn

Mrs Linda Riordan

Hywel Williams

Jonathan Edwards

NC6

To move the following Clause:—

‘After section 359E of Armed Forces Act 2006, insert—

“359F

Former Armed Services Personnel Policy Forum

(1)	A Former Armed Services Personnel Policy Forum shall be created to

ensure best practice in the treatment and discussion of veterans’ welfare

issues.

(2)	The Former Armed Services Personnel Policy Forum shall have

membership comprising representatives of the statutory, private and

voluntary sector.

© Parliamentary copyright	Revised 13 June 2011