
1 

(1) These Regulations may be cited as the Armed Forces Act 2021 (Commencement No. 1) Regulations 2022.
(2) In these Regulations, “the Act” means the Armed Forces Act 2021.
2 
The following provisions of the Act come into force on 1st May 2022 for the purpose only of conferring power to make subordinate legislation—
(a) section 2 and Schedule 1 (constitution of the Court Martial);
(b) section 4 to 6 (summary hearings, Summary Appeal Court, and Service Civilian Court: power to rectify mistakes etc);
(c) section 9 and Schedule 2 (reserve forces: flexibility of commitments);
(d) section 10 and Schedule 3 (service complaints appeals);
(e) section 12 and Schedule 5 (framework for establishment of tri-service serious crime unit);
(f) section 14 to 16 and Schedule 6 (deprivation and driving disqualification orders);
(g) section 21 (time limit for appeals in respect of war pensions: Scotland and Northern Ireland).
3 
Section 8 of the Act (armed forces covenant) comes into force on 1st May 2022 for the purpose only of conferring power to make subordinate legislation or issue guidance.
4 
The following sections of the Act come into force on 1st May 2022—
(a) section 3 (nomination of Circuit judge to sit as judge advocate);
(b) section 7 (concurrent jurisdiction) so far as it inserts section 320A (guidance on exercise of criminal jurisdiction: England and Wales) into the Armed Forces Act 2006;
(c) section 13 (power of commanding officer to award service detention: Royal Marines);
(d) section 18 (rehabilitation periods: England and Wales).
5 
A commanding officer who has heard a charge summarily may not award the punishment of detention under row 1 of the Table in section 132 of the Armed Forces Act 2006 (punishments available to commanding officer) if—
(a) the person being punished is a corporal in the Royal Marines; and
(b) the charge is in respect of an offence committed before 1st May 2022.
Leo Docherty
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Ministry of Defence
19th April 2022