§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the impact of the Part-time Workers Directive on staff in his Department. [109269]
§ Mr. Mike O'BrienThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office supports staff in their efforts to reach an appropriate work-life balance. Part-time working is one of several ways in which the FCO offers staff flexibility in 329W their working patterns. In accordance with the Employment Act 2002, the FCO has recently introduced procedures to facilitate further flexible working.
We currently have 142 part-time staff—an increase of 35 per cent. over last year. All benefits—including leave, pension, overseas allowances (where appropriate)—are provided pro-rata to staff working part-time.