Section 2 of the British Nationality Act 1981 provides that a person born outside the United Kingdom and the qualifying territories after commencement of that Act will be a British citizen in certain circumstances, including where at the time of the birth his father or mother is a British citizen and is serving outside the United Kingdom and the qualifying territories in service designated by the Secretary of State, recruitment for that service having taken place in the United Kingdom or a qualifying territory. Various types of service are designated for the purposes of this provision by the British Citizenship (Designated Service) Order 2006.

This Order amends that Order so as to remove from the types of service so designated, service under the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council and the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils and to replace them with service under the successor organisation, the Science and Technology Facilities Council, which is to be established as a Research Council under the Science and Technology Act 1965 with effect from 1 April 2007.