To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the part-time workers directive on staff in his Department. [109268]

The Department of Health is committed to work-life-balance for its staff and so offers a range of flexible working patterns and actively supports staff and managers who wish to work flexibly. Part-time working is one of the ways in which the Department offers its staff flexibility. Others are job sharing, home working and working compressed hours.As at 1 April 2003 there were 560 staff recorded as part time. This represents 11 per cent, of the total staff in post (4,933).