Defence Reform Act 2014.
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| Long title | An Act to make provision in connection with any arrangements that may be made by the Secretary of State with respect to the provision to the Secretary of State of defence procurement services; to make provision relating to defence procurement contracts awarded, or amended, otherwise than as the result of a competitive process; to make provision in relation to the reserve forces of the Crown; and for connected purposes. |
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| Citation | 2014 c 20 |
| Introduced by | Philip Dunne |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 14 May 2014 |
| Other legislation | |
| Relates to | Reserve Forces Act 1980, Reserve Forces Act 1996, Armed Forces Act 2006 |
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Status: Current legislation
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The Defence Reform Act 2014 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It has 51 sections and seven schedules, and is concerned with defence procurement and the UK Reserve Forces, particularly the Territorial Army.
The long title of an Act (see the infobox opposite) is of significance because it forms part of the Act, and is the 'first of the elements of an Act ... that can be used to find the meaning of the Act, and generally its scope.' in future legal decisions.
The Bill extends to the whole of the United Kingdom. Amendments to, and repeals of, other legislation made by Part 3 have the same extent as the provisions amended or repealed. Amendments made by this Act to the Reserve Forces Act 1980, the Reserve Forces Act 1996 and the Armed Forces Act 2006 can be extended to the Channel Islands and/or the Isle of Man by provisions that already exist in those Acts.
The Queen's Speech on the opening of the 2013-14 session of Parliament included a reference to 'Measures...to improve the way this country procures defence equipment, as well as strengthening the Reserve Forces.' In the background note to the speech, the Government said
The Bill would enable the Ministry of Defence (MoD) to fundamentally change the way it procures and supports defence equipment by reforming the Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) organisation and strengthening the arrangements for single source (non-competitive) procurement. The Bill would increase the size and role of our Reserve Forces.
A White Paper, "Better Defence Acquisition" covering the procurement provisions referred to in the speech was published in June 2013. Chapter 1 of the paper addresses procurement carried out by the MOD's 'Defence Equipment and Support' (DE&S)function, and identifies three long standing significant problems ("Root causes") within procurement which the Government believes has contributed to poor performance:
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