Defence Reform Act 2014

The Defence Reform Act achieved Royal Assent on 14 May 2014. Part 1 of the act dealt with Defence Equipment and Support, Part 2 with Procurement and Part 3 with the Reserve Forces.

Part 3 of the act allowed reservists to play an even greater role in the UK's armed forces: it extended powers to call out reservists so that they can be called out for any purpose for which members of the regular forces may be used. It also allowed the Secretary of State to make regulations to provide for the making of incentive payments by him to employers of reservists. The intention was to focus these payments on small and medium-sized businesses as mobilisation can be much more difficult for them to manage.

The act also provided greater employment protection for reservists by disapplying the statutory qualification period for the purposes of claiming unfair dismissal from civilian employment where the reason for dismissal is connected with the employee’s membership of the reserve forces. The act also changed the name of the Army’s volunteer reserve force from the Territorial Army to the Army Reserve.

Finally, the act required Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations to report annually to the Secretary of State for Defence on the state of the volunteer reserve forces.