§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are employed in her Department on a job share contract; and what percentage of vacant positions was advertised on this basis in the last 12 months. [35356]
§ Dr. HowellsThere are currently no staff employed on a job share contract in the Department.
All vacancies advertised state that
597Wapplications are welcome from staff wishing to job-share or work part-time, and managers will seek to accommodate flexible working patterns".
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many cases of work-related stress have been reported in his Department; how much compensation has been paid to employees; how many work days have been lost due to work-related stress, and at what cost; what procedures have been put in place to reduce work-related stress, and at what cost, in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [35940]
§ Dr. HowellsMy Department's independent staff counselling service report that over the past year they have dealt in confidence with three work-related stress cases. Details for the previous two years are not available. No compensation has been paid out over the past three years. While levels of sick absence are closely monitored, we do not have records to identify which absences through stress are work-related; therefore the cost similarly cannot be identified. However, my Department is committed to meeting the targets for reducing the number of working days lost generally due to work related injuries and illness in line with the Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative. To this end my Department introduced a new stress management policy last year providing staff and managers with guidance on identifying and managing stress more effectively, and this month we are launching a dedicated Health and Well-Being intranet site for all staff. A full review of work-life balance polices has also been conducted recently. The costs involved in these initiatives are not available.
§ Dr. CableTo ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment has been made of the effect of the working time directive on her Department's employees; how many employees are working in excess of 48 hours per week; what steps she is taking to reduce this number; and if she will make a statement. [35899]
§ Dr. HowellsThe results of working hours surveys conducted in my Department, including the Royal Parks Agency, indicate that there are occasions where a small number of senior staff are working voluntarily in excess of 48 hours per week. However, no staff are doing so on a regular basis save for a group of horticultural staff in the royal parks who are on all hours worked contracts and have signed an "opt out" agreement. The actual hours worked by staff in different parts of the Department are monitored regularly against conditioned working hours to identify any developing trends and/or potential problem areas. Where these arise, divisional business plans and work demands may be adjusted, and individual staff offered time management training. My Department has also conducted a review of personnel policies with the aim ofachieving a better work-life balance for all staff. This review took account of the results of the working hours surveys and of responses to work-life balance questions posed in last year's annual staff attitude survey.