Future Reserves 2020

Part of Business of the House – in the House of Commons at 11:44 am on 8 November 2012.

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Photo of Philip Hammond Philip Hammond The Secretary of State for Defence 11:44, 8 November 2012

I am not quite sure what that question was all about. Under the Reserve Forces Act 1996, reservists’ employment rights are protected when they are mobilised—employers are required to keep their workplace open for them. As I said in my statement, however, our Green Paper addresses the issue of discrimination. We have not ruled out the use of legislation if there is evidence of systematic or widespread discrimination against reservists, if that cannot be tackled in any other way, just as we have legislation preventing employers from discriminating against someone who might be likely to take maternity leave, for example.