§ Mr. TyrieTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many civil servants in his Department have been invited to waive the Working Time Directive requirement to work less than 48 hours a week on 17 consecutive weeks; how many civil servants in his Department have refused to waive the requirement; and what is the total cost of compliance with the Directive. [76811]
§ Mr. SpellarDetails of staff who have voluntarily agreed that the maximum 48 hour working week need not apply in their case are not held centrally and the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Department has issued guidance that such opt-outs should be agreed by line managers only in exceptional circumstances. The vast majority of staff will therefore be unaffected by this aspect of the regulations. As normal working hours for MOD civil servants are well within the 48 hour ceiling, the costs of compliance with the Directive are negligible.