HC Deb 07 May 1996 vol 277 cc67-8W
Ms Jowell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provision is available to employees of his Department for(a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (f) part-time work, (g) job sharing, (h) leave to care for sick children, (i) home-working, (j) term-time contracts, (k) annual hours contracts, (l) workplace nurseries, (m) child care allowances, (n) carer's leave and (o) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. [27576]

Sir Paul Beresford

My Department has a range of policies designed to help staff combine their career and domestic responsibilities. Full details are included in the terms and conditions of staff and set out in the Department's "Staff Handbook" or other published guidance. In some cases eligibility is statutory or automatic and in others an element of local management discretion is involved. I will write further to the hon. Member with full details and enclose the relevant extracts from the Department's guidance.

Ms Jowell

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provision is available to employees of executive agencies under the control of his Department for(a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (f) part-time work, (g) job sharing, (h) leave to care for sick children, (i) home-working, (j) term-time contracts, (k) annual hours contracts, (l) workplace nurseries, (m) child care allowances, (n) carers leave and (o) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. [27577]

Sir Paul Beresford

My Department's three executive agencies, the Planning Inspectorate, the Building Research Establishment and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, all provide a range of policies designed to help staff combine their career and domestic responsibilities. In most cases the initiatives follow the terms and conditions adopted for my Department's employees as set out in the Department's "Staff Handbook" and other published guidance. However, there are variations to take account of local circumstances in the individual agencies. I will write further to the hon. Member with the full details of the eligibility criteria and these variations.