VI.	REGULATIONS ANENT THE DEPLOYMENT OF TA CHAPLAINS AND RNR CHAPLAINS IN VOLUNTARY MOBILISATION (AS AMENDED BY REGULATION III 2002)
Edinburgh, 25 May 2000, Session 7

1.	Where a Parish Minister (“the Minister”) is a Territorial Army Chaplain or a Royal Naval Reserve Chaplain on part time reserve service, any proposed change of such status to full time reserve service on voluntary mobilisation under section 24 of the Reserve Forces Act 1996 shall not be effective unless and until all of the following have been granted:-
(a)	firstly, the consent of the Minister’s Kirk Session;
(b)	secondly, the consent of the Presbytery of the bounds; and
(c)	thirdly, the consent of the Committee on Chaplains to HM Forces or any Committee which may succeed to its duties and functions (“the Committee”).
Before deciding whether to give or withhold such consent the Committee shall interview the minister.  The consent of the Committee shall not be granted unless the following are in place:-
(i)	written undertakings from the Ministry of Defence that it will contribute to the Church of Scotland Pension Scheme for Ministers and Overseas Missionaries (“the Pension Scheme”) 20% of the sum by which the Minister’s Chaplains salary exceeds his or her total stipend and that satisfactory arrangements are in place as to insurance against personal injury and death during the period of such full time reserve serce;
(ii)	a written undertaking from the Ministry of Defence that, if the locum appointed by the Presbytery as herein provided for is in pensionable service, it will meet the cost of the employer’s contributions to the Pension Scheme for such locum;
(iii)	written acknowledgement from the Trustees of the Pension Scheme that the full time reserve service of the minister shall be deemed by the said Trustees to constitute Extra-Parochial Service in terms of the Rules and Regulations of the Pension Scheme; and
(iv)	an assurance by the Presbytery of the bounds that a suitably qualified full-time locum for the Minister’s charge gas been appointed to serve for the period of the Minister’s absence on full time reserve service, such appointment to be wholly conditional on the consent of the Committee as herein provided for being granted.
2.	On all of the consents as detailed above having been granted, the Presbytery shall appoint an Interim Moderator and, in consultation with the Kirk Session, a full-time locum for the charge who shall require to be an ordained Minister of the Church of Scotland and who shall serve for the period of the Minister’s absence.  With the agreement of all parties the Interim Moderator and the locum may be the same person.
3.	The Minister’s period(s) of full time service in theatre shall not exceed three months in any three year period or six months in any six year period.
4.	During periods of full time reserve service the Minister shall retain his or her status as Minister of the charge but shall be seconded by the Church to the Ministry of Defence who shall assume all of the responsibilities of an employer vis-à-vis the Minister.  For the avoidance of doubt payment of stipend to the Minister shall cease for the duration of such periods and the monies which would otherwise have been applied to stipend and related costs shall be used to meet the costs of employing a full time locum.
5.	During periods of full time reserve service contributions to the Pension Scheme in respect of the Minister shall continue to be paid as though he or she were fulfilling all of the duties of a Parish Minister in the charge.  The Minister shall continue to pay compulsory  contributions to the Insured Pension, Contributors’ or Widows’ and Orphan’s Funds during such periods and voluntary contributions by the Minister and the Congregation may also continue to be paid.