Asked by: Baroness Barran (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 7 August (HL344), how many staff (1) in the Ministry of Justice, (2) in the Crown Prosecution Service, and (3) supporting the Law Officers, are permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours; what is the percentage of overall working time they are permitted to spend on such network activity; how many hours are allocated in total; what are the names of each of the networks being funded; and whether they have any plans to increase or reduce such funding.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
With regards to the Ministry of Justice, the delivery of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Staff Network activity is agreed between networks and departments as the employer. This includes permitted time allocation and any funding arrangements. The majority of staff time spent on diversity staff networks is voluntary and unpaid and there is no immediate plan to change this.
The 16 recognised Staff Networks currently operating in Ministry of Justice are:
ABLE
Carers
Christians in MoJ
Frontline
Gender Equality
Hindu
Humanists
Jobshare
International and EU Nationals
Muslim
Parents
Proud
Safe Space
Sikhs in MoJ
Spirit
Supporting the Workplace in Menopause (SWIM)
The Executive Board of the Attorney General’s Office appoints two volunteer members of staff to act as Diversity and Inclusion leads. With volunteer colleagues, they organise events (such as lunchtime talks) and circulate relevant information and materials around the Office. No maximum percentage of overall working time is specified for such activity and the time spent on such activity is not recorded.
As for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), it has 27 staff who are permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours across its eight staff networks who are allocated ‘network time’. There is no specified maximum percentage of overall working time permitted to spend on such network activity, but the maximum allocated to any one individual in this financial year is 177.6 hours. For 2024/25, there are 3426.5 hours allocated in total.
There are no current plans in the CPS to increase or reduce funding in this financial year, however requests for funding are submitted and reviewed annually.
The names of the networks for the CPS are:
National Black Crown Prosecution Association (NBCPA)
Carers Association
Sikh Society
Muslim Network
Christian Fellowship
LGBTI
Social Mobility
Disabled Staff Network (DSN)