§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy on(a) core hours and (b) flexible working hours is operated by his Department and each agency and non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible. [107652]
§ Mr. BlunkettHours for Home Office staff with full-time attendance are 41 hours for staff in the London pay area and 42 hours elsewhere, including meal breaks. Within the Prison Service, prison officer and related grades work 39 hours per week, exclusive of meal breaks, which are unpaid. Many staff who work full-time or part-time are able to work flexible hours. For a 'traditional' full-time worker, core hours are 10:00 until 11:30 and 15:00 to 15:45. In some Home Office agencies and non-departmental public bodies these hours may vary by 30-minutes/one hour, but in general are within the times stated.
There are also a variety of flexible and 'nontraditional' working patterns available to Home Office staff. For example: part-time working, job sharing, home working and term-time working. An individual's working pattern is decided in conjunction with their local management to suit both the individual's preferences and the requirements of the office. Staff also now have the statutory right to request to work flexibly and there is a duty for managers to consider such requests seriously.