Veterans Advisory and Pensions Committees Act 2023

1 Veterans advisory and pensions committees

After Part 16A of the Armed Forces Act 2006 (armed forces covenant report) insert—

“Part 16B Veterans advisory and pensions committees

343C Establishment and functions of veterans advisory and pensions committees

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations establish committees, to be known as veterans advisory and pensions committees, for areas specified in the regulations.

(2) The regulations may, in particular, include provisions about—

(a) membership of committees;

(b) appointment and removal of members;

(c) period and terms of membership.

(3) The regulations may give the committees functions relating to one or more of the following—

(a) former members of the armed forces;

(b) family members of former members;

(c) services provided by the Ministry of Defence to former members of the armed forces or family members of former members;

(d) armed forces covenant matters relating to former members of the armed forces or family members of former members;

(e) war pensioners;

(f) war pensions;

(g) AFCS benefit recipients;

(h) AFCS benefits.

(4) The regulations may include provisions about the way in which the committees are to perform their functions.

(5) The regulations may provide for the committees to have names specified in the regulations (as well as being known as veterans advisory and pensions committees).

(6) In this section—

• “AFCS benefit” means a benefit payable under an armed and reserve forces compensation scheme established by order under section 1(2) of the Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Act 2004;

• “AFCS benefit recipient” means a person in receipt of an AFCS benefit, in the person’s capacity as such;

• “armed forces covenant matter”, in relation to a former member of the armed forces or a family member of a former member, means any matter relating to effects of former membership of the armed forces on the former member or the family member—

  (a)

  in the fields of healthcare, education or housing,

  (b)

  in the operation of inquests, or

  (c)

  in any other field that the Secretary of State could determine under section 343A(2)(c);

• “family member of a former member” means a person who, in relation to a former member of the armed forces, is a person prescribed by regulations under section 343B(4A);

• “former member of the armed forces” means a former member of any of His Majesty’s forces who is ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom;

• “war pension” means—

  (a)

  any pension or other benefit, payable otherwise than under an enactment, for or in respect of a person who has died or been disabled in consequence of service as a member of the armed forces of the Crown,

  (b)

  any pension or benefit awarded under—

  (i)

  the Personal Injuries (Emergency Provisions) Act 1939,

  (ii)

  the Pensions (Navy, Army, Air Force and Mercantile Marine) Act 1939, or

  (iii)

  the Polish Resettlement Act 1947,

  (c)

  any pension or other payment which constitutes an obligation of a kind mentioned in section 4(1) of the Statute Law Revision Act 1958 (seamen and fishermen killed or injured in the 1914-1918 war), or

  (d)

  any other pension or benefit which is specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State,

  but does not include any pension or benefit administered by the Defence Council or the Commissioners for the Royal Hospital for Soldiers at Chelsea, or any pension or benefit administered by the Secretary of State for Defence (except one administered by the Secretary of State in the exercise of functions transferred to the Secretary of State from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions);

• “war pensioner” means a person in receipt of a war pension, in the person’s capacity as such.”