House of Commons Amendments

Session 2010 - 11
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Other Bills before Parliament

13

House of Commons

Tuesday 15 February 2011

Select Committee

New Amendments handed in are marked thus

Armed Forces Bill

Gemma Doyle

3

Clause  2,  page  2,  leave out lines 11 and 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)
other such fields as the External Reference Group may determine.’.

Mark Lancaster

1

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

‘(2A)
The armed forces covenant report must also include analysis of the effects of

membership, or former membership, of the reserve forces in such fields as the

Secretary of State may determine.’.

Gemma Doyle

4

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  42,  leave out ‘Secretary of State’ and insert ‘External

Reference Group’.

Gemma Doyle

5

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  44,  at end add—

‘(7)
In this section “External Reference Group” shall mean an independently chaired

body of interested parties, appointed by the Cabinet Office, who represent the

Select Committee: 15 February 2011
14

Armed Forces Bill, continued

armed forces, families, veterans and reservists community, to monitor progress

and hold departments to account in the delivery of government obligations arising

from the Armed Forces Covenant. The External Reference Group will continue

to produce a publicly available Annual Report on the Military Covenant.’.

Mr Kevan Jones

Gemma Doyle

6

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  44,  at end add—

‘(7)
The Secretary of State must by Order through Statutory Instrument establish a

written Military Covenant (henceforth referred to as “the Covenant”) which sets

out the definition of the word “covenant”, used in Clause 2, line 6 of the Armed

Forces Bill. The definition would set out the principles against which the annual

armed forces covenant report would be judged. No Order establishing the

definition of the term “covenant” shall be made unless a draft of the Order,

prepared after public consultation, has been laid before and approved by a

resolution of both Houses of Parliament. An Order to review the definition of the

term “covenant” would be made every five years and would not be passed unless

a draft of the Order, prepared after public consultation, has been laid before and

approved by a resolution of both Houses of Parliament.

(8)
In this section “public bodies” means—

(a)
United Kingdom government departments;

(b)
local authorities; and

(c)
National Health Service trusts.’.

Mr Kevan Jones

Gemma Doyle

7

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  44,  at end add—

‘(7)
The existing network of Armed Forces Advocates will be extended through the

nomination of supporting advocates at regional and local level to ensure that local

authorities work together to identify and resolve issues in local policy or the

delivery of services that may affect service people.

(8)
In this section “Armed Forces Advocate” means a civil servant nominated to

resolve policy or legislative issues that may affect service people.’.

Mr Kevan Jones

Gemma Doyle

8

Clause  2,  page  2,  line  44,  at end add—

‘(7)
The Parliamentary and Local Government Ombudsman shall have the duty to

investigate complaints from service personnel that a public body or local

authority has failed to meet the commitments outlined in the Covenant.’.

Bob Russell

9

Clause  24,  page  27,  line  18,  at end insert—

‘(c)
consult with stakeholders responsible for the enforcement of such bye-

laws, including the Ministry of Defence Police.’.

Select Committee: 15 February 2011
15

Armed Forces Bill, continued

new clauseS

Veterans ID card

Alex Cunningham

NC1

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Secretary of State shall institute a Veterans’ Identification Card to assist

former members of the armed forces in obtaining the access to public services to

which they are entitled, including priority treatment on the National Health

Service and other services which may become available to them from other

organisations.

(2)
In this section “veteran” is taken to mean former members of any of Her

Majesty’s Forces who are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.’.

Enlistment of minors

Alex Cunningham

NC2

To move the following Clause:—

‘(1)
The Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52) is amended as follows.

(2)
In section 328 (Enlistment) the words “without the consent of prescribed persons”

are omitted.

(3)
In section 329 (Terms and conditions of enlistment and service), after

subparagraph 2(c) there is inserted—

“(ca)
enabling a person under the age of 18 to end his service with a

regular force by giving not less than 14 days’ notice in writing to

his commanding officer;

(cb)
requiring that a person who was under the age of 18 at the time

of enlistment and who on attaining that age wishes to continue

his service with a regular force shall be required to enlist in the

manner and form to be prescribed by such regulations;”.

(4)
After section 329 (Terms and conditions of enlistment and service) there is

inserted—

“329A
  Report on military service by minors

The Secretary of State shall lay before Parliament annually a report

showing the numbers of persons who have been—

(a)
recruited under the age of 18; and

(b)
retained on reaching the age of 18

for each of the regular forces during the preceding 12 months.”.’.

Select Committee: 15 February 2011
16

Armed Forces Bill, continued

Closure or realignment of Armed Forces bases

Thomas Docherty

NC3

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.’.

Thomas Docherty

10


Title,  line  2,  after ‘Police’, insert ‘to provide for parliamentary control of proposals to

close or realign bases for the armed forces.’.

Order of the House [10 January 2011]

That the following provisions shall apply to the Armed Forces Bill:

Select Committee

1.
The Bill shall be committed to a Select Committee.

2.
The Select Committee shall report the Bill to the House on or before 10

March 2011.

Committee of the whole House, consideration and Third Reading

3.
On report from the Select Committee the Bill shall be re-committed to a

Committee of the whole House.

4.
Proceedings in Committee of the whole House on re-committal, any

proceedings on consideration and proceedings on Third Reading shall be

completed at one day’s sitting.

5.
Proceedings in Committee of the whole House and any proceedings on

consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a

conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the day on which

those proceedings are commenced.

6.
Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be

Select Committee: 15 February 2011
17

Armed Forces Bill, continued

brought to a conclusion one hour after the commencement of those

proceedings or at the moment of interruption on that day, whichever is the

earlier.

7.
Standing Order No. 83B (Programming committees) shall not apply to

proceedings in Committee of the whole House and on consideration and

Third Reading.

Other proceedings

8.
Any other proceedings on the Bill (including any proceedings on

consideration of Lords Amendments or on any further messages from the

Lords) may be programmed.



© Parliamentary copyright	Revised 15 February 2011