§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Solicitor-General how many and what proportion of the staff of her Department are(a) job sharing, (b) term working and (c) engaged in another form of flexible working. [42429]
§ The Solicitor-General[holding answer 14 March 2002]: In my own Department, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, there is currently no job sharing, term working or staff engaged in any other form of flexible working.
540WIn the Departments for which the Attorney-General is responsible, details are as follows:
Crown Prosecution Service
The numbers and proportion of Crown Prosecution staff currently engaged in job sharing, term working and other forms of flexible working are as follows:
- Job sharing—14 staff (0.2 per cent.)
- Term working—24 staff (0.4 per cent.)
- Part-time—1,292 staff (20 percent.).
The Crown Prosecution Service recognises the need for all staff, particularly those with care responsibilities, to try to find the right balance between work and domestic commitments.
Job sharing and term time working are just a couple of the alternative and flexible working patterns that employees are welcome to take up.
The Department operates a flexible working hours scheme that is open to both full and part-time members of staff. The scheme allows staff to vary their times of arrival and departure, subject to management needs.
The Department also considers applications for term time working by members of staff. In addition, although not recorded as term time working, the Department considers sympathetically any requests for unpaid special leave and/or change in working pattern during school holidays.
In addition to part-time working, job sharing and term time working, the Department will shortly be issuing policies on working compressed hours and home working. Although these policies have yet to be formally promulgated, a number of staff already practise these forms of flexible working.
When advertising vacancies, Crown Prosecution Service area branches are encouraged to welcome applications from people working different patterns. However, there are some instances where this is not possible due to the nature of the work.
Treasury Solicitor's Department
The numbers and proportion of Treasury Solicitor's Department staff currently engaged in job sharing, term working and other forms of flexible working are as follows:
- Job sharing—2 staff (0.4 per cent.)
- Term working—1 person (0.2 per cent.)
- Part-time—37 staff (7 per cent.)
- Flexi-timers—46 staff (8.8 per cent.).
The Treasury Solicitor's Department recognises the need for all staff, particularly those with care responsibilities, to try to find the right balance between work and domestic commitments.
Serious Fraud Office
The Serious Fraud Office does not currently have any staff working on a job share or term basis, although these options are available. However, the Department currently has four members of staff working compressed hours (ie five days in four, or ten days in nine). Three of the Department's members of staff work part-time and six work on a part home/part office basis. The Serious Fraud Office also operates a flexi-time system which enables the majority of staff to structure their working day to suit their own circumstances.
541WThe Serious Fraud Office recognises the need for all staff, particularly those with care responsibilities, to try to find the right balance between work and domestic commitments.