{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-act-2006/section-340IA",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-act-2006/section-340IA.json",
  "legislation": "ukpga/2006/52",
  "legislation_title": "Armed Forces Act 2006",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/armed-forces-act-2006",
  "path": "section/340IA",
  "kind": "section",
  "number": "340IA",
  "heading": "Commissioner investigations of general service welfare matters",
  "text": "(1) The Armed Forces Commissioner may investigate such general service welfare matters as the Commissioner considers appropriate, subject to subsection (5).\n(2) A “general service welfare matter” is a matter which, in the Commissioner’s opinion—\n(a) arises in connection with the ongoing service of persons subject to service law, and\n(b) may materially affect the welfare of those persons or relevant family members.\n(3) The Commissioner must consider any request made by a person subject to service law or a relevant family member to carry out an investigation under this section.\n(4) “Relevant family members” means such descriptions of persons connected with a person subject to service law as may be specified.\n(5) The Commissioner may not under this section investigate—\n(a) a particular service complaint (see instead section 340H);\n(b) a matter which is or was the subject of a service inquiry (see section 343);\n(c) a matter which is or was the subject of a criminal investigation or criminal proceedings;\n(d) a matter which is or was the subject of a public inquiry;\n(e) a matter of such description as may be specified.\n(6) Nothing in subsection (5)(a) to (d) prevents the investigation of a general service welfare matter which comes to the attention of the Commissioner in connection with a service complaint, a service inquiry, a criminal investigation or criminal proceedings, or a public inquiry.\n(7) A description of a matter may be specified under subsection (5)(e) only if the Secretary of State considers that investigation of a matter of that description by the Commissioner—\n(a) would be against the interests of national security, or\n(b) might jeopardise the safety of any person.\n(8) The Secretary of State must, in connection with an investigation under this section—\n(a) co-operate with the Commissioner so far as is reasonable,\n(b) give the Commissioner such reasonable assistance as the Commissioner requests, and\n(c) consider any findings or recommendations made by the Commissioner (whether or not contained in a report under section 340LA).\n(9) In this section—\n“public inquiry” means an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005;\n“specified” means specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Pt. 14A inserted (1.1.2016) by Armed Forces (Service Complaints and Financial Assistance) Act 2015 (c. 19), ss. 2(1), 7(1); S.I. 2015/1957, reg. 2 (with savings and transitional provisions in S.I. 2015/1969)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Ss. 340IA, 340IB and cross-heading inserted (1.4.2026) by Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025 (c. 23), ss. 4(2), 7(2); S.I. 2026/14, regs. 2, 4(c) (with reg. 5)"
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/52/section/340IA",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T09:13:24.063324+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}