Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Armed Forces (Service Complaints) Regulations 2015 (S.I. 2015/1955) (“the 2015 Regulations”).

The Regulations substitute references to a “specified officer” in the 2015 Regulations with references to a “specified person”. This reflects changes to the service complaints system, made by the Armed Forces Commissioner Act 2025 (c. 23), which allow functions previously exercisable only by an officer to be exercised by any person appointed by the Defence Council.

Regulation 3 makes transitional provision for service complaints submitted, and admissibility decisions made, before 3rd November 2026. A complaint received by the specified officer before that date is to be treated from that date as if it had been received by the specified person under the amended regime. Where the specified officer decided before 3rd November that a service complaint was not admissible, that decision is treated for the purposes of regulation 7 of the 2015 Regulations as a decision of the specified person.

A full impact assessment has not been produced for this instrument as no, or no significant, impact on the private, voluntary or public sector is foreseen.