Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Office Working

Thursday 26 May 2022 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 0 Not answered 0

Key points

  • We operate hybrid working, whereby staff are expected to spend, on average, two days a week in the office
  • Before covid-19, about 40% of staff were expected to work from home or another location
  • Currently, we have an expectation of some working from home under a hybrid model with 60% typically working remotely

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Philip Hollobone Con
Parliamentary Procedure
Context

N/A - Direct inquiry about current policy without a specific event or context.

Question

What her policy is on the proportion of time that officials in her Department are expected to work from departmental premises.

Answer from Nadine Dorries

We operate hybrid working, whereby staff are expected to spend, on average, two days a week in the office, recognising that some roles require more office-based work than others. This is designed to maximise the use of our office capacity, as we currently have 800 desks for 2,000 staff in London.

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Q2 Philip Hollobone Con
Context

Figures released in April showed that 43% of staff were working on departmental premises, prompting questions about pre-pandemic and current working conditions.

Question

Can the Secretary of State tell me what proportion of staff in her Department were working from home before the pandemic; what the proportion is now; and what steps she is taking with the Minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency to encourage more civil servants to work in the Department?

Answer from Nadine Dorries

Before covid-19, about 40% of staff were expected to work from home or another location. Currently, we have an expectation of some working from home under a hybrid model with 60% typically working remotely and up to almost 80% office occupancy on some days.

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