14 Jan 2014 : Column 7MC

14 Jan 2014 : Column 7MC

Ministerial Corrections

Tuesday 14 January 2014

Justice

Advertising: The Guardian

Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on advertising with (a)The Guardian newspaper, (b)The Guardian website and (c) The Guardian Media Group in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11, (iii) 2011-12 and (iv) 2012-13. [171157]

[Official Report, 29 October 2013, Vol. 569, c. 417W.]

Letter of correction from Shailesh Vara:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Skipton and Ripon (Julian Smith) on 29 October 2013.

The full answer given was as follows:

Mr Vara: The information requested is set out in the following table:

Spend on advertising by year (£ rounded)
 2009-102010-112011-122012-13

The Guardian newspaper

29,672

2,043

n/a

9,042

The Guardian website and the Guardian Media Group

20,242

353

3,231.90

9,886

The Ministry's expenditure on advertising and promotion relates to recruitment, with the majority of recruitment activity being within the National Offender Management Service to ensure sufficient prison officers are in post to operate effectively the prison system.

The Guardian outlets are only one of many that are used for this purpose. For example, the Ministry also uses The Sunday Times.

The correct answer should have been:

Mr Vara: The information requested is set out in the following table:

Spend on advertising by year (£ rounded)
 2009-102010-112011-122012-13

The Guardian newspaper

29,672

2,043

6,552

9,042

The Guardian website and the Guardian Media Group

20,242

353

6,682

42,973

The Ministry's expenditure on advertising and promotion relates to recruitment, with the majority of recruitment activity being within the National Offender Management Service to ensure sufficient prison officers are in post to operate effectively the prison system.

The Guardian outlets are only one of many that are used for this purpose. For example, the Ministry also uses The Sunday Times.

14 Jan 2014 : Column 8MC

Defence

Reserve Forces

Mr McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what support his Department provides to employers to assist employees who are army reservists; and how their skills will enhance the employer's company. [181698]

[Official Report, 6 January 2014, Vol. 573, c. 15-16W.]

Letter of correction from Anna Soubry:

An error has been identified in the written answer given to the hon. Member for Inverclyde (Iain McKenzie) on 6 January 2014.

The full answer given was as follows:

Anna Soubry: SaBRE-Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers-is an organisation supported by the Ministry of Defence which is positioned to provide support to both reservists and employers. It maintains a website

www.sabre.mod.uk

that provides information for employers including detailed advice on the benefits of employing reservists and examples for companies of HR policies tailored to reservist employees. SaBRE also operates a telephone helpline that is available for both reservists and employers to address specific inquires. Further, each of the 13 Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) has a Regional SaBRE Campaign Director able to provide a personal, face-to-face service for employers at a local and regional level.

In the White Paper ‘Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valued and Valuable’ (Cm 8655) the Government pledged to improve the relationship between Defence and employers. Financial support is given to assist employers to recruit staff or to cover overtime to fill an absence left by a mobilised employee. An incentive payment of £500 per employer per month is also available to some small and medium enterprises. Under our fresh approach to the Reserves, employers will have greater awareness and predictability of when their staff may be mobilised.

Reserve Service will benefit different employers in different ways. For some, the improved skills, experience and training of the individual reservist will be beneficial. For some, where the reservist’s military role is close to their civilian one, there will be more benefit from transferable skills.

For some companies and sectors, Reserve Service suits and supports their business models. Reserve Service might support corporate social responsibility objectives and be part of their social action plans, alongside any wider volunteering policies.

The correct answer should have been:

Anna Soubry: SaBRE-Supporting Britain’s Reservists and Employers-is an organisation supported by the Ministry of Defence which is positioned to provide support to both reservists and employers. It maintains a website

www.sabre.mod.uk

that provides information for employers including detailed advice on the benefits of employing reservists and examples for companies of HR policies tailored to reservist employees.

14 Jan 2014 : Column 9MC

SaBRE also operates a telephone helpline that is available for both reservists and employers to address specific inquires. Further, each of the 13 Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Associations (RFCAs) has a Regional SaBRE Campaign Director able to provide a personal, face-to-face service for employers at a local and regional level.

In the White Paper ‘Reserves in the Future Force 2020: Valued and Valuable’ (Cm 8655) the Government pledged to improve the relationship between Defence and employers. Financial support is given to assist employers to recruit staff or to cover overtime to fill an absence left by a mobilised employee. An incentive payment of £500 per mobilised employee per month is also planned to be made available to some small and

14 Jan 2014 : Column 10MC medium-sized enterprises.

Under our fresh approach to the Reserves, employers will have greater awareness and predictability of when their staff may be mobilised.

Reserve Service will benefit different employers in different ways. For some, the improved skills, experience and training of the individual reservist will be beneficial. For some, where the reservist’s military role is close to their civilian one, there will be more benefit from transferable skills.

For some companies and sectors, Reserve Service suits and supports their business models. Reserve Service might support corporate social responsibility objectives and be part of their social action plans, alongside any wider volunteering policies.