§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what child care provision was made available in the financial year 1998–99 for use by (i) his departmental staff and (ii) employees of executive agencies under the control of his Department; what was the cost to parents of this child care; and how many parents used the facilities. [108832]
§ Ms Beverley HughesMy hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 15 February 2000,Official Report, columns 518–20W, the importance of family friendly policies to the Civil Service Reform programme, and action in respect of the pilot studies.
In this Department (i) DETR(C) provides 11 subsidised workplace nursery places. The DETR(C) subsidy for nursery places is 48 per cent. The weekly cost to parents for each place for financial year 1998–99 ranged from £79.00 to £84.50. A total of 10 parents used the nurseries during that period.
DETR(C) participates in a Holiday Playscheme open to permanent members of staff with children between the ages of five and 12 years. The Department funds 639W 50 per cent. of the cost of places. The daily cost to parents in financial year 1998–99 was £8.06. A total number of 28 parents used the playscheme.
Provision of child care differs across the Executive Agencies. Most provide holiday playschemes and subsidised nursery places. The cost to parents for the financial year 1998–99 ranged from £52.00 to £80.00 per week for a nursery place, and between £5.00 to £9.00 a day for a playscheme place. The total number of parents in the Executive Agencies making use of child care provision ranged from five to 40.
The Department and its Executive Agencies will reimburse child care costs incurred when work requirements demand a change to a member of staff's normal working hours eg to attend a training course.
§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what provisions are made available to (i) departmental staff and (ii) 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 contract, (l) child care allowances, (m) careers' leave and (n) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. [108849]
§ Ms Beverley HughesMy hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 15 February 2000,Official Report, columns 519–22W, corporate actions that we are taking as part of the civil service reform programme to improve the balance between work and private life. In this Department (including its Agencies) staff with one year of service or more are entitled to 18 weeks maternity leave on full pay plus up to 34 weeks unpaid maternity leave in the period of 11 weeks before and 41 weeks after childbirth. Staff with more than 26 weeks, but less than one year, of service are entitled to 18 weeks maternity leave with Statutory Maternity Pay and 22 weeks unpaid leave in the period of 11 weeks before and 29 weeks after childbirth. Staff with less than 26 weeks service are entitled to 18 weeks unpaid maternity leave which may be extended by a further 11 weeks.
Across the Department, paternity leave ranges from between five and 10 days on full pay. This leave may be taken either at the time of the birth or during the following weeks. Unpaid paternity leave of varying lengths is offered in some parts of the Department. Parental leave applies across the Department as set out in the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999. Departmental staff are covered by arrangements based on the default provisions as set out in the Maternity and Parental Leave etc. Regulations 1999.
Flexible working hours are, subject to management requirements, available to staff across the Department. A variety of arrangements and opportunities for part-time working and job sharing are available throughout the Department with some parts now opening up all posts to part-time and job sharing unless it is operationally vital that they be full time only. Across the Department paid leave up to five days may be granted to DETR(C) staff to 640W take care of or make arrangements for dealing with the illness of a sick child. Additionally a period of unpaid leave may be granted if the illness continues.
Homeworking is available throughout the Department subject to the cost and business implications. Requests to work from home are generally taken on a case-by-case basis. Requests to work to term time or annual hours contracts will be considered throughout the Department. Child care support throughout the Department ranges from participation in subsidised workplace nurseries and holiday playschemes and reimbursement of additional child care costs incurred by attending training or other work events.
Career breaks of up to five years unpaid are open to staff throughout the Department. In all the above cases the criteria used to judge eligibility is based on statutory requirements and/or on staff handbooks and particular Agency guidelines. In some cases management discretion will apply.
§ Caroline FlintTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions in each of the last five years, what proportion of women employees in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies under the control of his Department(a) returned to work after childbirth, (b) returned to work after childbirth before the end of maternity leave, indicating the (1) time-range and (2) mean time, (c) returned to work after childbirth on reduced working hours, indicating the average hours worked and (d) returned to work after childbirth full-time and subsequently reduced their hours. [108971]
§ Ms Beverley HughesMy hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office set out in his reply of 15 February 2000,Official Report, column 519W, corporate actions that we are taking as part of the Civil Service reform programme to improve the balance between work and private life. In this Department (including its Agencies) the number of women who have returned to work after childbirth in the last five years are as follows:
Women returning after childbirth Number of which returned before end of maternity leave 1995 129 15 1996 116 22 1997 150 35 1998 141 28 1999 118 25 We are unable to provide reliable information on the time range and mean time for staff returning to work after childbirth and before the end of maternity leave.
As regards the number of women returning to work after childbirth on reduced working hours, we do not have figures for 1995 and 1996; however, the figures for 1997 to 1999 are:
641W
- 13 in 1997
- 22 in 1998
- 15 in 1999.
The average hours worked ranged from between 21.3 to 23.9. Finally, the number of women who returned to work after childbirth full-time and subsequently reduced their hours are:
- 16 in 1995 and 1996;
- 23 in 1997;
- 38 in 1998; and
- 23 in 1999.