Armed Forces Bill — Clause 8 — Armed Forces Covenant — 13 Jul 2021 at 17:15

The majority of MPs voted not to require a regular report on ministers' use of powers to expand the set of circumstances where due regard to the special circumstances of current and former members of the armed services is required.

MPs were considering the Armed Forces Bill.^[1][2][3]

The amendment rejected in this vote began

• Amendment 2, page 18, line 28, at end insert—
• “343AG Section 343AF: report
• ‘(1) The Secretary of State must lay a report before each House of Parliament no later than three months after the day on which this Act is passed, and thereafter must make a report at least once in every calendar year.
• (2) The report in subsection (1) shall set out how the powers in section 343F (Sections 343AA to 343AD: power to add bodies and functions) will work in practice.

Had it not been rejected this would have impacted Clause 8 of the Bill^[3] titled: Armed forces covenant which set out a requirement for specified public bodies, when carrying out certain specified functions to "have due regard 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.

The provisions in the Bill also empowered ministers to add to the relevant lists of functions and public bodies.

The Armed Forces Covenant^[4] states:

• ...the whole nation has a moral obligation to the members of the Naval Service, the Army and the Royal Air Force, together with their families. They deserve our respect and support, and fair treatment
• Those who serve in the Armed Forces, whether regular or Reserve, those who have served in the past, and their families, should face no disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public and commercial services. Special consideration is appropriate in some cases, especially for those who have given most such as the injured and the bereaved.

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• [1] Parliament's webpage on the Armed Forces Act 2021, Parliament.uk
• [2] Armed Forces Bill as introduced in the House of Commons on 12 May 2021 , Parliament.uk
• [3] Explanatory notes to the Armed Forces Bill as introduced in the House of Commons on 12 May 2021 , Parliament.uk
• [4] The Armed Forces Covenant, Gov.uk

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