Consultation on extension of rights to time off for public duties
A consultation on extending the number of roles which benefit from the right to take time off for public duties has been published by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Under section 50 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 employers are obliged to give employees unpaid time off during their working hours to undertake certain public duties for example relating to: being a member of a local authority, a statutory tribunal, a police authority, a relevant education body, etc..
With the aim of increasing participation in public duties, particularly by young people and ethnic minorities, the Department for Communities and Local Government has launched a consultation seeking views on:
- extending the right to time off to people serving in the following roles: members of probation boards and board members of probation trusts, members of court boards, youth offender panel members, lay advisers assisting Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements and co-opted overview and scrutiny committee members;
- whether roles in the housing sector such as board members of registered social landlords, tenant management organisations and arms length management organisations should be covered by the time off entitlements;
- how best to encourage participation in governance roles in third sector organisations (e.g. charities) via non-regulatory ways.
Consultation closes on 19 December 2008. The document can be found at:
http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/communities/timeoffconsultation
This provides summary information and comment on the subject areas covered. Where employment tribunal and appellate court cases are reported, the information does not set out all of the facts, the legal arguments presented and the judgments made in every aspect of the case. Employment law is subject to constant change either by statute or by interpretation by the courts. While every care has been taken in compiling this information, we cannot be held responsible for any errors or omissions. Specialist legal advice must be taken on any legal issues that may arise before embarking upon any formal course of action.
