Saturday, 05 October 2024
logo
Up-to-the-minute perspectives on defence, security and peace
issues from and for policy makers and opinion leaders.
        



dv-header-dday
     |      View our Twitter page at twitter.com/defenceredbox     |     

defencenews

£5 million will be spent on improvements at the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre at Headley Court, including refurbishment to wards and accommodation.

Reservists in every Government department will be guaranteed a minimum 10 days Special Paid Leave to conduct training.


The special paid elave will come into effect from December 2012 and will allow Central Government employees to attend the mandated annual period of continuous training (typically an Annual Camp) without having to draw on their Annual Leave entitlement.

The investment at Headley Court will refurbish part of the Peter Long Unit, comprising wards and a dayroom; significantly improve accommodation in both the Officers and Combined Mess kitchens; upgrade the Single Living Accommodation and replace carpets and heating systems.

This additional investment at Headley Court follows the £16.9 million the MOD spent on the new Jubilee Rehabilitation Complex, which was formally opened on 19 September 2012.

Civil Service departmental policies on the amount of Special Paid Leave granted for Reserves' training have historically varied, averaging between 8 and 10 days per year, while some Departments offer no paid leave at all. While most of the training undertaken by Reservists takes place in the evenings and at weekends, a continuous period of training, typically of 15 days (including weekends), is a mandated obligation. In cases where Reserves have not been able to benefit from sufficient Special Paid Leave in the past, they have had to make the choice to forego annual leave to satisfy their Reserve training liability.

Following direction from the Prime Minister that the Government should lead the way as an employer of Reserves, the Head of the Civil Service has agreed with Departments to introduce a policy providing a standard minimum of 10 days Special Paid Leave for Reserves training across central Government Departments.


Cookies
We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue without changing your settings, we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies on the Defence Viewpoints website. However, if you would like to, you can modify your browser so that it notifies you when cookies are sent to it or you can refuse cookies altogether. You can also delete cookies that have already been set. You may wish to visit www.aboutcookies.org which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of desktop browsers. Please note that you will lose some features and functionality on this website if you choose to disable cookies. For example, you may not be able to link into our Twitter feed, which gives up to the minute perspectives on defence and security matters.