HC Deb 01 July 2002 vol 388 cc129-30W
Mr. Jenkins

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to encourage businesses to employ job-share employees. [63668]

Alan Johnson

We are working with a wide range of businesses to raise awareness of the business benefits of flexible working, including job sharing. In addition, through our successful £10.5 million Work-Life Balance Challenge Fund programme, we are providing support and guidance to employers who want to adopt flexible working.

Evidence to date indicates an increase in people taking up opportunities to job share in projects supported by the Challenge Fund. We are also actively disseminating the emerging best practice, so that more businesses and employees will be able to benefit from flexible working arrangements.

In addition, from April 2003, parents of children aged under six and disabled children aged under eighteen will have a right to request to work flexibly (which includes job share) and employers will have a duty to consider requests seriously. This important new right will be accompanied by a package of support for both employers and employees.

Mr. Jenkins

To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many of the Department's staff are job-share employees. [63669]

Ms Hewitt

There are currently 10 staff sharing five jobs in DTI HQ and its agencies. The assumption is that all posts will be open to part-time and job share staff. If, exceptionally, there are objective reasons why a job may not be undertaken on a part-time or job share basis, the reasons would be stated clearly in the advertisement.