Armed Forces Commissioner Act

Establishes the Armed Forces Commissioner to promote welfare of service personnel and their families and to raise public understanding of welfare issues, and abolishes the Service Complaints Ombudsman by transferring its functions to the new Commissioner. The Commissioner may investigate general service welfare matters (not individual complaints), has powers to enter service premises, and must report findings to Parliament. The role is a corporation sole appointed by the Crown on the Secretary of State’s recommendation, with staff and deputies, and the Act updates several laws to reference the Commissioner across the UK.

An amendment paper for the Lords’ Armed Forces Commissioner Bill considering whistleblowing provisions. Lords Amendments 2 and 3 would add a whistleblower investigation mechanism and define a whistleblower; the Commons propose Amendment 2A requiring anonymity in such investigations, while the Lords put forward in‑lieu amendments 2B and 2C. The Commons insist on 2A and oppose 2B/2C, and the Lords do not insist on their amendments, leading to noted disagreement.

In the Lords, a motion on the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill proposes not to insist on Lords Amendments 2B and 2C (which the Commons disagreed with for reason 2D) and to agree with the Commons on Amendment 2A.

This Lords publication records the Commons’ insistence on a narrow whistleblower anonymity provision in the Armed Forces Commissioner Bill, opposing the Lords’ broader protections. The Lords want the Commissioner to investigate welfare-related concerns raised by whistleblowers and to define whistleblowers with stronger confidentiality rules (amendments 2B–2C). The Commons argue that their amendment (2A) already ensures anonymity and that the extra provisions are unnecessary.