The Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS) leave entitlement has evolved over the years and, after the introduction of Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) and policy changes, soldiers now receive the same entitlement as other Regular personnel, in accordance with Joint Service Publication (JSP) 760.

Following a tri-Service review of MPGS leave and conditions of service, it was concluded that, as shift workers, leave requests are to cover from the completion of a duty period to the start of a subsequent set of duties – so a 12-day block containing one four-day “on-duty” spell in the middle.

In each four-day “off-duty” period one day is always considered a working day for training and accounted for as such.

This means when personnel book four days’ leave a total of six days is deducted from the individual’s allowance.

An FOI from 2015 stated that the fifth working day was set aside specifically for training and other duties, and that staff did “not regularly work five days on and three days off, but may work in the fifth day if they are required to cover sick leave or annual leave for example, or to undertake training which may account for tens per annum.”

Training days are also eight hours in duration not 12 like working days.

Further details can be found at

• MPGS Standard Operating Instruction (SOI) 004;
• MPGS handbook (newly published); and
• Army General and Administrative Instructions (AGAI) 043 – Part 09.

References

FOI 2015/07147 dated 09 September 2015.

O’Connor, J. (2020) Leave on the Line. Soldier: The Magazine of the British Army. January 2020, pp.48.