§ Mr. GrocottTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many civil servants are employed in his Department; what are their average weekly working hours, and how many are(a) on flexitime, (b) on job-sharing schemes, (c) on a four-day working week or nine-day fornight and (d) able to retire with full pension rights at 60 years.
§ Mr. EggarThe provision for staff employed at home and abroad by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, including the Overseas Development Administration, is 9,860.
There is no set standard working week for diplomatic wing staff serving overseas. Aid wing staff serving overseas normally work 41 hours each week, but this may vary according to local practice. Conditioned hours for all staff in London are 41 hours gross week.
In the diplomatic wing, flexible working hours were introduced in London during 1987 on a voluntary basis. Currently, staff in 21 Departments are operating the scheme. There are no staff operating job-sharing schemes.
In the aid wing, 1,021 officers take advantage of flexible working hours and 26 staff operate job-sharing schemes.
Neither wing has staff on a four-day working week or nine-day fortnight.
With the exception of a few short-term contract staff, all staff in both wings participate in the principal Civil Service pension scheme and, as such, are entitled to full pension rights at 60 years.