To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what information his Department holds on levels of take-up of the right to request flexible working by those with caring responsibilities. (188991)

[holding answer 25 February 2008]: BERR have conducted four surveys of flexible working which collected data specifically on employees with caring responsibility. These are the second and third Work-Life Balance Employee Surveys, and the first and second Flexible Working Employee Surveys. Reports on these surveys can be downloaded or ordered from the BERR website:

www.berr.gov.uk/publications/index.html

The most recent figures, from the 2006 Third Work Life Balance Employee Survey, estimate that 64 per cent. of employees with caring responsibilities for adults either said they were currently working flexibly, or had done so in the last 12 months. This compares with 56 per cent. of all employees.