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Working Hours

Volume 404: debated on Tuesday 15 April 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 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. [107646]

In the Department full-time non-industrial civilian staff below the Senior Civil Service are conditioned to 42 hours gross, 37 hours net per week (41 hours gross and 36 hours net in London). Full time industrial staff are conditioned to 37 hours net per week (36 hours in London). Staff working a standard working week normally will attend for five days of the same duration.It is the Department's policy to encourage civilian staff, at all levels, to adopt flexible working hours as part of our work life balance strategy. A variety of policies are in place to achieve this. In this context, the new statutory right for those with young children to request flexible working has been publicised. The responsibility for authorising these alternative working patterns has been delegated and records are not held centrally. As it will take time to collate the relevant information I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.