Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of employment protections for special constables undertaking mandatory training or deployment; and whether she plans to introduce statutory employment rights comparable to those available to Reserve Forces personnel.

Special constables are not employees of police forces and therefore do not fall within the scope of employment legislation in the same way as paid staff. There is currently no statutory requirement on employers to provide paid or unpaid leave for employees undertaking special constable duties, including mandatory training or deployment. However, many employers choose to support special constables voluntarily, including through the Employer Supported Policing scheme.

As part of the Employment Rights Bill, the Government has committed to undertake a statutory review of the civic roles covered by section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996, including whether special constables should be included. This review will consider the existing arrangements and the case for additional statutory protections.