Armed Forces Act 1991

23 Interpretation of Part III. U.K.

(1) In this Part of this Act—

• “accommodation ” [F1 means any service hospital or other suitable place the occupier of which is willing temporarily to receive the child to whom a protection order relates,] [F1 , in relation to a child to whom a protection order relates, means any service hospital or other suitable place the occupier of which is willing temporarily to receive the child,] whether situated in the United Kingdom, the country or territory where the child resides or elsewhere;

• “assessment order ” has the meaning given by section 17 above;

• “child ” means a person under the age of eighteen;

• [F2 “civilian in a corresponding position ” has the same meaning as in section 13 of the M1 Armed Forces Act 1981;] [F2 “civilian subject to service discipline” has the same meaning as in the Armed Forces Act 2006;]

• “contact order ” has the meaning [F3 —

  (a)

  except in relation to an order made in Scotland,] given by section 8(1) of the M2 Children Act 1989 [F4 or Article 8(1) of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 as the case may be]; [F5 ; and

  (b)

  in relation to an order there made, given by section 11(2)(d) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995.]

• [F6 “exclusion requirement” has the meaning given by section 20A above;]

• [F7 “extension order ” has the meaning given by section 21(2) above;]

• “harm” and “significant harm” have the same meanings as in the Children Act 1989;

• [F8 “officer having jurisdiction ” and “superior officer ” shall be construed in accordance with subsection (2) below;] [F8 “judge advocate” has the same meaning as in the Armed Forces Act 2006;]

• “parental responsibility ” [F9 —

  (a)

  except in relation to Scotland,] has the meaning given by section 3 of the Children Act 1989 [F10 or Article 6 of the Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995][F11 ; and

  (b)

  in relation to Scotland, shall be construed as a reference to “parental responsibilities ” within the meaning given by section 1(3) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995;]

• “parents ” shall be construed in accordance with subsection (3) below;

• “protection order ” has the meaning given by section 19 above;

• “regulations ” means regulations [F12 (except in section 20A(8))] made by the Secretary of State by statutory instrument subject to annulment in pursuance of a resolution of either House of Parliament;

• “the responsible person ”, in relation to a protection order, has the meaning given by section 20(1) above;

• “service hospital ” means a military, air-force or naval unit or establishment or a ship at or in which medical or surgical treatment is provided for persons subject to service law; and

• [F13 “service law ” means military law, air-force law or the 1957 Act.] [F13 “subject to service law” has the same meaning as in the Armed Forces Act 2006.]

[F14 (1A) Section 164(2) and (3) of the Armed Forces Act 2006 apply in relation to section 18(8A) and 20(9A) of this Act.]

(2) [F15 Regulations may make provision for determining—

(a) who, in relation to an assessment order or a protection order, is at any time the officer having jurisdiction for the purposes of any of the provisions of this Part of this Act; and

(b) who, in relation to a protection order, is at any time a superior officer for the purposes of sections 21 and 22 above.]

(3) Any reference in this Part of this Act to the parents of a child shall be construed without regard to whether they are or have been married to each other at any time; and this subsection is without prejudice to—

(a) the operation of section 1 of the M3 Family Law Reform Act 1987 as part of the law of England and Wales or section 1 of the M4 Law Reform (Parent and Child) (Scotland) Act 1986 as part of the law of Scotland; and

(b) any enactment or rule of law relating to adoption or legitimation.

(4) Any power under this Part of this Act to make regulations may make different provision for different cases and for different purposes.

Textual Amendments

F1 Words in s. 23(1) substituted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(a); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F2 Words in s. 23(1) substituted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(b); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F3 Hyphen and sub-para. (a) inserted (1.11.1996) in the definition in s. 23(1) by 1995 c. 36, s. 105(4), Sch. 4 para. 54(5)(a)(i) (with s. 103(1)); S.I. 1996/2203, art. 3, Sch.

F4 S. 23(1): Words in definition of “contact order ”added (4.11.1996) by S.I. 1995/756, art. 14(6)(a); S.R. 1996/297, art. 3

F5 Semicolon, word and sub-para. (b) inserted (1.11.1996) in the definition in s. 23(1) by 1995 c. 36, s. 105(4), Sch. 4 para. 54(5)(a)(ii) (with s. 103(1)); S.I. 1996/2203, art. 3, Sch.

F6 Words in s. 23(1) inserted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(c); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F7 Words in s. 23(1) inserted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(d); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F8 Words in s. 23(1) substituted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(e); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F9 Hyphen and sub-para. (a) inserted (1.11.1996) in the definition in s. 23(1) by 1995 c. 36, s. 105(4), Sch. 4 para. 54(5)(b)(i) (with s. 103(1)); S.I. 1996/2203, art. 3, Sch.

F10 S. 23(1): Words in the definition “parental responsibility ”added (4.11.1996) by S.I. 1995/756, art. 14(6)(b); S.R. 1996/297, art. 3

F11 Semicolon, word and sub-para. (b) inserted (1.11.1996) in the definition in s. 23(1) by 1995 c. 36, s. 105(4), Sch. 4 para. 54(5)(b)(ii) (with s. 103(1)); S.I. 1996/2203, art. 3, Sch.

F12 Words in s. 23(1) inserted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(f); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F13 Words in s. 23(1) substituted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(2)(g); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F14 S. 23(1A) inserted (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(3); S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

F15 S. 23(2) repealed (28.3.2009 for specified purposes, 31.10.2009 in so far as not already in force) by Armed Forces Act 2006 (c. 52), s. 383(2), Sch. 13 para. 9(4), Sch. 17; S.I. 2009/812, art. 3(a)(b) (with transitional provisions in S.I. 2009/1059); S.I. 2009/1167, art. 4

Marginal Citations

M1 1981 c. 55.

M2 1989 c. 41.

M3 1987 c. 42.

M4 1986 c. 9.