A BILL TO Provide a system of national service for young persons; and for connected

purposes. Be it enacted by the Queen’s most Excellent Majesty, by and with the advice and

consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present

Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:—

1 National service system

(1) Every individual who has attained the age of 18 years, and who has not

attained the age of 26 years, shall be liable to serve one year of national service

at some point between these years unless exempt.

(2) 5 Exempt individuals are those with severe mental or physical disability.

(3) National service shall be defined as participation in a full time scheme

accredited by HM Government as meeting the requirements of national service

and set out in regulations by the Secretary of State.

(4) Non-exempt individuals who do not serve one year of national service before

10 the age of 26 years shall be guilty of an offence.

2 Scope of the scheme

(1) Regulations shall provide that the scheme must extend the scope of the

National Citizen Service and include the following elements—

(a) educational assistance for those participants who have yet to attain

15 basic educational requirements of reading and writing in English and

mathematics;

(b) coaching and instruction to attain basic levels of physical fitness,

personal discipline, smart appearance, self respect and respect for

others;

(c) 20 instruction in personal financial budgeting, household bills, nutrition,

cooking, time keeping, life skills, tolerance towards others, treating

elderly and disabled people with dignity and respect; and

(d) instruction in basic aspects of the law in relation to the most common

offences involving young people.

National Service BillPage 2

(2) Regulations shall also provide that the scheme shall include—

(a) a residential element, requiring that participants live away from home;

and

(b) an element of public service, comprising one or more of the following

5 to be chosen by the individual—

(i) charitable work,

(ii) social action,

(iii) care for the elderly or disabled,

(iv) overseas development activity, or

(v) 10 work connected with the National Health Service, the

emergency services or the Armed Forces.

3 Pay and tax allowance for participants

(1) Participants in national service shall be paid the national adult minimum wage

during their year of service with accommodation and travel funded by the

15 Secretary of State.

(2) Regulations shall provide that a person who has successfully completed their

year of national service shall be presented with a national service certificate

which shall entitle them to a lifetime income tax rate personal allowance 10 per

cent above the personal allowance that would otherwise apply.

4 20 Interpretation

In this Act “national adult minimum wage” means the minimum wage as

specified under section 2 of the National Minimum Wage Act 1998 and

exemptions and modifications set out in section 3 of that Act shall not apply.

5 Financial provision

25 There shall be paid out of money provided by Parliament—

(a) any expenditure of the Secretary of State in consequence of this Act, and

(b) any increase attributable to this Act in the sums which under any other Act

are payable out of money so provided.

6 Offence

30 Regulations shall provide for those guilty of an offence under section 1(4) to be

subject to a penalty.

7 Regulations

Regulations under this Act shall be made by statutory instrument and may not

be made unless a draft of the regulations have been laid before, and approved

35 by a resolution of, each House of Parliament.

8 Short title, commencement and extent

(1) This Act may be cited as the National Service Act 2013.

(2) This Act comes into force one year after Royal Assent.

(3) This Act extends to England and Wales.