The Goods Vehicles (Testing, Drivers’ Hours and Tachographs etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2026

PART 1

Compensation for injury or disease

1 Pension etc. for injury or disease

(1) The Secretary of State must secure that provision is made by regulations under this section for conferring on persons who meet the criteria in Schedule 1 the benefit of an award under the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme (AFRFCS) that is—

(a) payable to or in respect of the person,

(b) otherwise attributable to service in the armed forces,

and that the provision made in pursuance of this section is reasonably accessible to those persons.

(2) Regulations under this section must secure that the provision made by virtue of subsection (1) is equivalent to the provision that would be made if the person had met the criteria in the AFRFCS for an award under that Scheme.

(3) The Secretary of State must consult the Lord Chancellor before making regulations under this section.

(4) The duty under subsection (1) does not apply if the Secretary of State considers that the person has previously been provided with equivalent provision for a service-related injury or disease under arrangements made by the Secretary of State or any government department.

2 Review of decisions

(1) The Secretary of State must secure that provision is made by regulations under this section for a system to be established under which a person may seek a review of a decision made about an award under the AFRFCS which is payable to or in respect of them only by virtue of section 1.

(2) The provision made by virtue of subsection (1) must secure that the review system—

(a) is reasonably accessible to the persons concerned,

(b) provides for substantive review of the decision, and

(c) is conducted by a person or body who is independent of the Secretary of State in relation to the making of the decision being reviewed.

(3) The Secretary of State must consult the Lord Chancellor before making regulations under this section.

3 Regulations under this Part

(1) Regulations under this Part may include such incidental, consequential, supplementary or transitional provision as appears to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient.

(2) The power to make regulations under this Part is exercisable by statutory instrument.

(3) Regulations under section 1 or 2 may not be made unless a draft of the instrument containing them has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

PART 2

Preferential treatment

4 Preferential treatment in respect of public authority functions

(1) The Secretary of State may by regulations require relevant public authorities to accord preferential treatment to a person who meets the criteria in Schedule 1, or is the spouse or civil partner of such a person, when performing a function to which the regulations relate.

(2) Regulations under this section may make provision for or in connection with—

(a) the matters in respect of which preferential treatment may be accorded (including, but not limited to, housing, education, employment and pension matters);

(b) the nature or extent of the preferential treatment;

(c) the circumstances in which preferential treatment must or may be accorded.

(3) The Secretary of State must have regard to guidance issued by the Secretary of State for Defence when making regulations under this section, and must have regard to any revision of that guidance when considering exercising functions under this section.

(4) Before making regulations under this section, the Secretary of State must consult—

(a) such representatives of relevant public authorities as the Secretary of State considers appropriate,

(b) such other persons as the Secretary of State considers appropriate.

5 Meaning of “relevant public authority” and “function”

(1) For the purposes of this Part, “relevant public authority” means a body or person listed in Schedule 2, or a body or person of a description specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State.

(2) For the purposes of this Part, “function” means a function of a public nature, but does not include a function relating to—

(a) the exercise of judicial authority,

(b) the exercise by the Crown Prosecution Service of its functions under section 6(1) of the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985 (the Director’s functions),

(c) the exercise by the Director of Public Prosecutions of functions secured by the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 2008 (other functions of the Director).

(3) The Secretary of State may by regulations amend Schedule 2.

(4) The Secretary of State must consult the Lord Chancellor before making regulations under subsection (1) or (3).

6 Regulations under this Part

(1) Regulations under this Part may include such incidental, consequential, supplementary or transitional provision as appears to the Secretary of State to be necessary or expedient.

(2) The power to make regulations under this Part is exercisable by statutory instrument.

(3) Regulations under section 4 or 5 may not be made unless a draft of the instrument containing them has been laid before, and approved by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

PART 3

General

7 Guidance

(1) The Secretary of State may issue guidance to public authorities about the discharge of their functions under this Act.

(2) A public authority to whom guidance is issued under this section must have regard to that guidance in discharging its functions.

(3) Guidance under this section may be amended or withdrawn by the Secretary of State.

8 Commencement

(1) This Act comes into force on such day or days as the Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument appoint.

(2) The Secretary of State may by regulations made by statutory instrument make savings or transitional provisions in connection with the commencement of any provision of this Act.

9 Extent

(1) This Act extends to England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

(2) Section 8(2) and this section extend to Northern Ireland only.

10 Short title

This Act may be cited as the Veterans (Compensation and Preferential Treatment) Act 2017.

SCHEDULES

SCHEDULE 1

Criteria for compensation and preferential treatment

1. A person meets the criteria in this Schedule if the person has—

(a) served in the armed forces for a qualifying period; and

(b) been discharged or released from service in the armed forces.

2. A person has served in the armed forces for a qualifying period if the person has served in the armed forces on or after 6 April 2005 and before the end of the period described in sub-paragraph (3).

3. The period described in this sub-paragraph is the period—

(a) beginning with the day on which the Armed Forces Act 2016 comes into force, and

(b) ending with the day before the day on which the first provision of this Act comes into force.

4. In this Schedule—

“armed forces” means Her Majesty’s armed forces;

“discharged or released” means discharged or released from service in the armed forces (whether permanently or temporarily, and whether with or without a commission or engagement) and includes, in the case of a person who has been discharged or released, a person who has been re-engaged or re-enlisted.

“qualifying period” has the meaning given in paragraph 2.

SCHEDULE 2

Relevant public authorities

1. A Minister of the Crown or a Government Department.

2. The Scottish Ministers.

3. The Welsh Ministers.

4. The Executive Office in Northern Ireland.

5. A body whose general purpose is the promotion or improvement of education.

6. A body whose general purpose is the provision of health care or the promotion or improvement of public health.

7. A body whose general purpose is the provision of housing or the promotion of home-ownership.

8. A body established under or by virtue of an enactment to perform any function exercisable in the United Kingdom or in any part of the United Kingdom.

9. The holder of any office under the Crown or the holder of an office whose holder is appointed by Her Majesty.

10. A person exercising functions on behalf of a Minister of the Crown or a Government Department by virtue of an enactment or otherwise.