Armed Forces Act 2011
| Act of Parliament | |
| Long title | An Act to continue the Armed Forces Act 2006 (AFA 2006); to amend that Act and other enactments relating to the armed forces and the Ministry of Defence Police; to amend the Visiting Forces Act 1952; to enable judge advocates to sit in civilian courts; to repeal the Naval Medical Compassionate Fund Act 1915; and for connected purposes. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2011 c. 18 |
| Introduced by | Liam Fox MP (Commons) Lord Astor of Hever (Lords) |
| Territorial extent | |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 3 November 2011 |
| Commencement |
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| Other legislation | |
| Amends | |
| Repeals/revokes | Naval Medical Compassionate Fund Act 1915 |
| Amended by |
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| Relates to | Armed Forces Act 2006 |
Status: Amended | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Revised text of statute as amended | |
| Text of the Armed Forces Act 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk. | |
The Armed Forces Act 2011 (c. 18) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.
Provisions
It part of a series of acts to provide a legislative framework for the UK Armed Forces. The act gave the armed forces the legal authority to exist for another five years (under the terms of the Declaration of Right).[1]
Its most major element was to establish a requirement for the Secretary of State for Defence to make an annual report to Parliament on the implementation of the Armed Forces Covenant.[2] It also made some revisions to the Armed Forces Act 2006, and provisions covering the three service police forces and the Ministry of Defence Police.
Ping-pong
| Stage | Date | Hansard Reference | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Programme (No. 3) motion: House of Commons, and Commons Consideration of Lords' Amendments | 19 Oct 2011 | Columns 1008-1021[3] | |
| Lord's Consideration of Commons Reason | 26 Oct 2011 | Columns 856-863[4] |
Royal assent
The bill was given royal assent (and thus became an act) on 3 November 2011.[5]
Reception
The director general of the Royal British Legion, Chris Simpkins, criticised the legislation describing it as a "U-turn" from the government's original commitment, due to the lack of an external body to monitor implementation of the covenant.[6] Simpkins described it as the Ministry of Defence monitoring itself.[7]
Notes
References
- ^ Taylor, p. 1
- ^ "David Cameron confirms military covenant 'law' plans". BBC News. 15 May 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "Hansard, 19 Oct 2010" (PDF). Parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Hansard, 26 Oct 2011" (PDF). Parliament.uk. Retrieved 19 September 2013.
- ^ "Bill stages — Armed Forces Act 2011". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ "David Cameron accused of U-turn over military covenant". BBC News. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
- ^ "MoD cost reviews looks to find fresh cuts". BBC News. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 13 February 2026.
Further reading
- House of Commons Hansard, http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/hansard/commons/
- Murrison, Andrew (2011) 'Tommy This 'an Tommy That: The Military Covenant' Biteback. ISBN 978-1849541060
- Taylor, Claire; House of Commons Research Paper 10/85 'Armed Forces Bill', Bill 122 of 2010–11. Dated 17 December 2010.
External links
- Text of the Armed Forces Act 2011 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.
- Text of the Armed Forces Act 2011 as originally enacted or made within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.