HC Deb 16 September 2004 vol 424 cc1664-5WS
Bob Spink

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many rooms are set aside for(a) the use of smokers,(b) worship, broken down by religion and(c) nursing mothers and pregnant women in each building and set of offices for which her Department is responsible. [187317]

Alun Michael

The implementation of these policies is decentralised so details are not readily available for the whole Defra estate. But the information for the Department's major headquarters sites in London, Guildford and York and for the site of the Rural Development Service at Reading is as follows:

Smoking Worship Nursing/pregnant
9 Millbank 1 First aid room First aid room
Cromwell House 1 First aid room First aid room
Eastbury House 1 First aid room First aid room
Ergon House 1 First aid room First aid room
1a Page Street 1 First aid room 1
Nobel House 1 First aid room First aid room
Whitehall Place East 1 First aid room First aid room
Guildford 4 1 First aid room
Reading 1 On request
York 3 On request 1
1 Shares facility with Nobel House.

In the interests of providing a healthy working environment, Defra pursues a non-smoking policy in the workplace but provides smoking rooms wherever possible. The Department is committed to policies of equal opportunity and tolerance and responds to the needs of religious worship where this is required (for the Christian Fellowship, for Ramadan or for private contemplation for example). Also any, conference room or meeting room can be booked for the purpose of religious observance. Similarly Defra seeks to serve the needs of nursing and expectant mothers. At smaller sites, provision for worship and nursing mothers is often combined with other facilities such as quiet rooms or first aid rooms for reasons of practicality and cost effectiveness.

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