HC Deb 15 May 1996 vol 277 cc506-9W
Ms Jowell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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. [27593]

Mr. Boswell

[holding answer 7 May 1996]: Responsibility for these matters is delegated to agency chief executives and I have asked them to reply to the hon. Member direct.

Letter from T. W. A. Little to Ms Tessa Jowell, dated 15 May 1996:

The Minister has asked me to reply to your PQ on provisions available to employees of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA).The VLA was established on 1 October 1995, from the merger of the existing Central Veterinary Laboratory with the Veterinary Investigation Service, which was part of the State Veterinary Service.The availability of the provisions you mention are set out in a MAFF Staff Handbook to which all employees in this Agency have access. They apply to both full-time and part-time staff. Maternity arrangements are provided in conjunction with the statutory entitlements available. Where provision in the Agency differs from that of MAFF, information is readily available, for example on the Holiday Playscheme.

Letter from G. K. Bruce to Ms Tessa Jowell, dated 15 May 1996:

The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your question about the provision available to employees for maternity leave and various other allowances and schemes in respect of the Pesticides Safety Directorate (PSD), as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible.PSD currently follows the provisions allowed for by MAFF policies.

Letter from J. M. Rutter, to Ms Tessa Jowell, dated 15 May 1996: The Minister has asked me to reply to your question about the provision of (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) childcare allowances, (n) carers' leave and (o) career break schemes for staff in the Veterinary Medicines Directorate as this is an area for which I am responsible. The availability of these provisions is set out in a Staff Handbook to which all employees in Veterinary Medicines Directorate have easy access. They apply to both full-time and part-time staff. Maternity arrangements are provided in conjunction with the statutory entitlements available. There is an on-site Playscheme for 5–12 year olds which is provided during the main school holidays by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, with whom we share the site. There is no provision for under 5 year olds.

Letter from Phillip Needham to Ms Tessa Jowell, dated 15 May 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply direct to your Parliamentary Question in which you ask what provision is available to employees of Executive Agencies for (a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (t) 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) childcare allowances, (n) careers' leave and (o) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. ADAS follows the provisions as set out in the MAFF Staff Handbook to which all employees in ADAS have access. They apply to both full-time and part-time staff. Maternity arrangements are provided in conjunction with the statutory entitlements available.

Letter from Johnston McNeill to Ms Tessa Jowell, dated 15 May 1996: As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service, your question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food concerning various personnel policies has been passed to me for reply with respect to this Executive Agency. The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) was launched on 1 April 1996 as an Executive Agency of MAFF. It took over from some 300 local authorities responsibility for enforcement of the hygiene and welfare at slaughter legislation in licensed fresh meat premises in England, Scotland and Wales. The MHS has developed, consulted on, and negotiated the agreement on a comprehensive set of personnel policies covering a number of these areas, specifically a), b), c) and k). The MHS however must develop policies relevant to the nature of its business environment. On a full cost recovery basis the MHS provides statutory meat inspection and official veterinary services in approximately 1,800 licensed meat plants, cold stores and cutting rooms dispersed throughout England, Scotland and Wales. Employees operate in teams ranging in size from lone workers to a team size of approximately ten. The MHS seeks to provide a cost effective and responsive service to Industry at all times. Specific policies provide for the following:

  1. (i) The MHS maternity leave and payment arrangements apply to all pregnant employees regardless of the number of hours worked per week. To qualify for maternity leave, an MHS employee should write to their Regional Manager or Head of Department at least twenty one days before maternity leave is intended to begin or as soon as is reasonably practicable, confirming pregnancy and the expected week of confinement (EWC). Employees should state the date of the beginning of maternity absence and whether or not they intend to return to work. Maternity leave may not commence earlier than 11 weeks before the EWC. Employees who have 508 1 or more years' continuous service, are entitled to 18 weeks' leave of absence and may remain absent for up to 29 weeks from the beginning of the week in which confinement occurs. Employees who have less than 1 year's continuous service are entitled to up to 18 weeks' absence. Any employee returning to work after pregnancy may do so under the original contract of employment and on terms and conditions no less favourable than that which would have applied if there had been no maternity leave.
  2. (ii) Employees who have one or more years' continuous service receive maternity pay of 90 per cent. of full pay for the first six weeks and 50 per cent. of full pay and State Maternity Pay for the following 12 weeks. Employees with less than one year's service, casual employees and those with a fixed term contract of less than 2 years receive Statutory Maternity Pay or Maternity Pay.
  3. (iii) Maternity Support Leave (paternity leave) of 5 days with pay will be granted to the child's father or the partner or nominated carer of an expectant mother at or around the time of birth. A nominated carer is the person nominated by the mother to assist in the care of the child and to provide support to the mother at or around the time of the birth. Employees applying for maternity support leave must provide a copy of the mother's maternity certificate.
  4. (iv) Industry requirements for MHS services vary tremendously based on seasonal factors, consumer demand, etc. Accordingly employees operate principally on a 37 hour/5 day week. This is however supplemented by conditional/contractual overtime schemes, a variety of shift systems and in some cases a scheme of annualised hours where significant seasonal demand patterns exist, typically in lamb production. The particular scheme involves employees based at seasonal plants, or servicing a number of plants, working a longer working week of conditioned hours at certain times of the year and a correspondingly shorter working week at other times of the year. The particular scheme in question will be discussed with Industry representatives.
Given the practical demands of the environment in which the majority of MHS operate it does not have any specific policy on parental leave, leave to care for sick children or carer's leave. However, consideration would be given for these purposes under the MHS special leave scheme. No provision is available for homeworking, term time contracts, flexible working hours, childcare allowances, part-time working or career break schemes. Sympathetic consideration would be given to some of the above if appropriate.

Letters from P. I. Stanley to Ms Tessa Jowell, dated 15 May 1996: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your question about the provision available to employees for maternity leave and various other allowances and schemes in respect of his Central Science Laboratory (CSL) Agency, as this is an operational matter for which I am responsible. CSL has not as yet developed specific policies in the areas that you have referred to and is currently following the provisions allowed for by MAFF policies.

Ms Jowell

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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, W 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. [27592]

Mr. Boswell

[holding answer 7 May 1996]: The availability of these provisions is set out in a staff handbook to which all employees in this Department have easy access. They apply to both full-time and part-time staff. Maternity arrangements are provided in conjunction with the statutory entitlements available.