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| | (3) | The chair and members of the Former Armed Services Personnel Policy |
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| | forum shall be appointed by the Secretary of State following consultation |
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| | with relevant stakeholders and shall include a government representative. |
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| | (4) | The criterion for membership and responsibilities of the veterans’ policy |
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| | forum shall be determined by the Secretary of State following |
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| | consultation with relevant stakeholders. |
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| | (5) | “Relevant stakeholders” shall include Ministers in devolved legislatures |
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| | and veterans’ support agencies. |
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| | (6) | The Former Armed Services Personnel Policy Forum shall report from |
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| | time to time to the relevant authority. |
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| | (7) | “Relevant authority” means Ministers reponsible for the implementation |
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| | of policies relating to veterans’ welfare, including Ministers in devolved |
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| | |
| | (8) | The Former Armed Services Personnel Rights’ Policy Forum shall be |
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| | introduced within one year of Royal Assent to the Armed Forces Act |
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| | |
| | (9) | The operation of the Former Armed Services Personnel Policy Forum |
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| | shall be reported upon in the Armed Forces Covenant Report.”.’. |
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| |
| | Voluntary discharge of under-18’s |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | The Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52) is amended as follows. |
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| | (2) | In section 329 (Terms and conditions of enlistment and service), after subsection |
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| | |
| | “(3A) | The regulations shall make provision that any person under the age of 18 |
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| | shall be entitled to end their service with a regular force by giving not less |
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| | than 14 days’ notice in writing to their commanding officer, and shall |
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| | ensure that any person enlisting under the age of 18 is informed of this |
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| | right when they enlist.”’. |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | The Armed Forces Act 2006 is amended as follows. |
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| |
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| | (2) | In section 328(2)(c) (Enlistment) the words “without the consent of prescribed |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘After section 359 of AFA 2006 insert— |
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| | “359B | Armed Forces Advocates |
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| | (1) | The existing network of Armed Forces Advocates will be extended |
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| | through the nomination of supporting advocates at regional and local |
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| | level to ensure that local authorities work together to identify and resolve |
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| | issues in local policy or the delivery of services that may affect service |
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| | |
| | (2) | In this section “Armed Forces Advocate” means public servant |
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| | nominated to monitor and resolve policy or legislative issues that arise |
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| | Duties of ombudsmen and Covenant commitments |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘After section 359 of AFA 2006 insert— |
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| | “359C | Duties of Ombudsmen and Covenant commitments |
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| | ‘The Parliamentary and Local Government Ombudsmen shall have the |
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| | duty to investigate complaints from service personnel that a public body |
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| | or local authority has failed to meet the commitments outlined in the ‘The |
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| | Armed Forces Covenant’ and ‘The Armed Forces Covenant: Today and |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | The Secretary of State for Defence shall publish annual statistics on— |
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| | (a) | defence spending by each Government Office Region by— |
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| | (i) | equipment expenditure; |
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| | (ii) | non-equipment expenditure; |
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| | (iii) | service personnel costs; |
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| | (iv) | civilian personnel costs; and |
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| | (b) | defence spending in each local authority area by— |
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| | (i) | equipment expenditure; |
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| | (ii) | non-equipment expenditure; |
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| | (iii) | service personnel costs; |
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| | (iv) | civilian personnel costs. |
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| | (2) | The Secretary of State for Defence shall publish annual estimates of national and |
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| | regional employment dependent on MoD expenditure and defence exports.’. |
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| |
| | UK Defence Base Closure and Realignment Commission |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | An independent UK Defence Base Closure and Realignment Commission shall |
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| | (2) | The Commission shall be comprised of 12 members reflecting the nations and |
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| | regions of the United Kingdom. |
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| | (3) | The Select Committee on Defence of the House of Commons shall, within a |
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| | fortnight of the conclusion of a Strategic Defence and Security Review, propose |
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| | the membership of the Commission, giving due weight to— |
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| | (a) | the nations and regions of the United Kingdom; |
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| | (b) | military and strategic expertise; and |
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| | (c) | experience in assessment of economic impacts. |
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| | (4) | The proposed membership shall be subject to approval by resolution of both |
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| | |
| | (5) | The Commission shall convene following the conclusion of a Strategic Defence |
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| | and Security Review to consider a draft force structure plan submitted by the |
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| | Secretary of State for Defence, and shall arrange for its reports to be laid before |
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| | Parliament within six months of the conclusion of such a Review. |
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| | (6) | The Commission will make recommendations for base closures and realignments |
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| | following consideration of the force structure plan, the economic effects of a |
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| | closure or realignment of a military installation and the strategic military presence |
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| | across the nations and regions of the United Kingdom. |
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| | (7) | The Secretary of State shall lay a draft Order in Council to give effect to the |
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| | recommendations of the Commission which shall be brought into effect only if |
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| | approved by resolution of both Houses. |
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| | (8) | The Secretary of State shall not give effect to the draft structure plan referred to |
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| | in subsection (5) until parliamentary proceedings under subsection (7) are |
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| | Duties of public bodies and Ministers |
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| To move the following Clause:— |
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| | ‘(1) | In preparing policy, public bodies and Ministers must have regard to those |
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| | matters to which the Secretary of State is to have regard in preparing an armed |
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| | forces covenant report, under subsection (2A) of section 359A of AFA 2006. |
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| | (2) | In preparing policy, public bodies and Ministers must consider whether the |
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| | making of special provision for service people or particular descriptions of |
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| | service people would be justified.’. |
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| |
| |
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| Title, line 2, after ‘Police’, insert ‘to provide for parliamentary control of proposals to |
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| close or realign bases for the armed forces.’. |
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| |
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| Title, line 4, after ‘Naval Medical Compassionate Fund Act 1915;’ insert ‘to make |
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| provision about the call out of reserve forces;’. |
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| |
| | Order of the House [10 January 2011] |
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| | That the following provisions shall apply to the Armed Forces Bill: |
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| | |
| | 1. | The Bill shall be committed to a Select Committee. |
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| | 2. | The Select Committee shall report the Bill to the House on or before 10 |
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| | Committee of the whole House, consideration and Third Reading |
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| | 3. | On report from the Select Committee the Bill shall be re-committed to a |
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| | Committee of the whole House. |
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| | 4. | Proceedings in Committee of the whole House on re-committal, any |
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| | proceedings on consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall be |
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| | completed at one day’s sitting. |
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| | 5. | Proceedings in Committee of the whole House and any proceedings on |
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| | consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a |
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| | conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the day on which |
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| | those proceedings are commenced. |
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| | 6. | Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be |
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| | brought to a conclusion one hour after the commencement of those |
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| | proceedings or at the moment of interruption on that day, whichever is the |
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| | |
| | 7. | Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to |
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| | proceedings in Committee of the whole House and on consideration and |
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| | 8. | Any other proceedings on the Bill (including any proceedings on |
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| | consideration of Lords Amendments or on any further messages from the |
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| | Lords) may be programmed. |
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| |
| | Armed Forces Bill (Programme) (No. 2) |
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| | That the Order of 10 January 2011 (Armed Forces Bill (Programme)) be varied as |
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| | |
| | 1. | Paragraphs 4 to 6 of the Order shall be omitted. |
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| | 2. | Proceedings in Committee of the whole House, any proceedings on |
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| | consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall be taken in two days |
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| | in accordance with the following provisions. |
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| | 3. | Proceedings in Committee shall be taken on the first day and shall (so far as |
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| | not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the moment of |
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| | interruption on the first day. |
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| | 4. | Any proceedings on Consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall |
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| | be taken on the second day. |
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| | 5. | Any proceedings on Consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) |
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| | be brought to a conclusion two hours before the moment of interruption on |
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| | |
| | 6. | Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be |
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| | brought to a conclusion two hours after the commencement of those |
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| | proceedings or at the moment of interruption on the second day, whichever is |
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| | The following Notices have been withdrawn: |
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| Clause 2, page 2, line 2, at end insert— |
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| | ‘(1) | In the title of AFA 2006, after “forces”, insert “, to recognise the special role and |
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| | status of the armed forces, to make provision for the Military Covenant.”’. |
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| Clause 2, page 2, line 4, leave out ‘Armed forces covenant report’ and insert ‘The |
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| Clause 2, page 2, line 5, leave out subsections (1) and (2) and insert— |
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| | ‘(1) | In this Act, the “Military Covenant” shall have the meaning in Schedule (The |
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| | |
| | (2) | An authority to which this section applies shall, when making a decision of a |
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| | strategic nature about how to exercise its functions, have due regard to the |
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| | (a) | In deciding how to fulfil a duty to which it is subject under subsection (2), |
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| | an authority must take into account any guidance issued by the Secretary |
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| | |
| | (b) | In producing any such guidance, the Secretary of State shall consult such |
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| | bodies or persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate. |
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| | (4) | The authorities to which this section applies are— |
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| | (a) | a Minister of the Crown; |
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| | (b) | a government department; |
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| | (c) | a county, metropolitan, city or district council; |
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| | (d) | the Greater London Authority; |
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| | (e) | a London borough council; |
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| | (f) | the Common Council of the City of London in its capacity as a local |
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| | |
| | (g) | the Council of the Isles of Scilly; |
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| | (h) | a Strategic Health Authority established under section 13 of the National |
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| | Health Service Act 2006, or continued in existence by virtue of that |
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| | |
| | (i) | a Primary Care Trust established under section 18 of that Act, or |
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| | continued in existence by virtue of that section; |
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| | (j) | a regional development agency established by the Regional Development |
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| | |
| | (5) | The Secretary of State may by regulation amend subsection (4) so as to— |
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| | (a) | add a public authority to the authorities that are subject to the duty under |
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| | subsection (1) of that section; |
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| | (b) | remove an authority from those that are subject to that duty; |
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| | (c) | make the duty apply, in the case of a particular authority, only in relation |
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| | to certain functions that it has; |
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| | (d) | in the case of an authority to which the application of the duty is already |
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| | restricted to certain functions, remove or alter the restriction. |
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| | (6) | In subsection (5) “public authority” means an authority that has functions of a |
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| | |
| | (7) | A failure in respect of a performance of a duty under subsection (2) does not |
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| | confer a cause of action at private law. |
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| | |
| | (a) | The Secretary of State shall annually lay before each House of Parliament |
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| | a report (the “Military Convenant Report”) on how the Military |
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| | Convenant has been implemented since the last report was produced |
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| | |
| | (b) | When preparing the report, the Secretary of State shall consult— |
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| | (i) | any guidance issued by the Secretary of State on the detailed |
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| | principles of the Military Convenant and Her Majesty’s |
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| | Government’s aspirations relating to the Military Covenant; |
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| | (ii) | representatives of the Armed Forces; |
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| | (iii) | the Royal British Legion; |
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| | (iv) | representatives from Armed Forces charities; |
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| | (v) | the body known as the “Military Covenant Panel”; |
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| | (vi) | other interested parties. |
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| | (c) | The first Military Covenant Report to be laid under this section shall be |
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| | laid before both Houses of Parliament by 1 November 2011. |
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| | (9) | The Secretary of State shall appoint persons to form a panel known as the Military |
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| | |
| | (10) | In appointing persons to the Military Covenant Panel, the Secretary of State shall |
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| | have regard to the requirement of securing that the Military Covenant Panel |
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| | includes persons who are members or former members of— |
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| | |
| | (b) | charities representing the Armed Forces; |
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| | (c) | charities assisting the Armed Forces; |
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| | (d) | the body known or formerly known as the External Reference Group; |
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| | (e) | other interested parties. |
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