Commentary on Sections Part 3: Reserve Forces
145.Part 3 contains provisions which make changes relating to the reserve forces. Section 44 renames the Army’s volunteer reserve force and the Army’s ex-regular reserve force. Section 45 extends the powers in the Reserve Forces Act 1996 which allow members of a reserve force to be called out for permanent service. Section 46 amends the Reserve Forces Act 1996 to give the Secretary of State a new power to make regulations which provide for the making of payments by him to employers whose reservist employees are called out, undertake certain training or perform certain other duties. Section 47 amends the Reserve Forces Act 1996 by creating requirements for reserve associations to report annually to the Secretary of State on the state of the volunteer reserve forces and for the Secretary of State, on receiving such a report, to lay a copy of it before Parliament. Section 48 amends the Employment Rights Act 1996 to disapply the statutory qualification period for the purposes of claiming unfair dismissal if the reason for the dismissal is connected with the employee’s membership of a reserve force.