§ Mr. ChallenTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions what steps his Department is taking to encourage staff to work from home; and how many staff do so on a regular basis. [21829]
§ Dr. WhiteheadFollowing a study of flexible working, a number of pilot implementations, presentations to staff and positive feedback from a staff survey, the DTLR Board gave approval to a project to implement flexible working in DTLR(c) on 22 November 2001. Working at or from home is one option for working flexibly which the Department will support with appropriate furniture and equipment and due regard to compliance with health and safety requirements.
At present 766 members of staff regularly use the Remote Access Service to dial in DTLR's office automation system when working away from their normal workstation. About 37 per cent. of staff work at home on an informal basis at some point during the course of a year.