§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department have taken time off from work in order to attend to domestic incidents as provided for by the Employment Relations Act 1999. [108355]
§ Dr. MoonieThe Ministry of Defence endeavours to create a family friendly working environment for civilian staff at all levels as part of our work life balance strategy. With this in mind the Ministry of Defence has issued guidance to staff on special leave for domestic reasons as provided for in the Employment Relations Act. The policy of the Ministry of Defence on this matter goes beyond the minimum requirements of the Act by allowing this special leave to be paid in many circumstances.
The responsibility for authorising such leave has been delegated to line managers and therefore records are not held centrally.