Ashley Fox

The data requested is not held centrally. The Office for Equality and Opportunity is not a standalone department, and Ministerial offices are located across various Government departments.

Our Get Britain Working plan will support more disabled people and people with health conditions to enter work and stay in it. We will devolve power to local areas to join up work, health and skills support for local people.

The Attorney General’s Office have 10 people on flexible working arrangements which represents 17.24% of the workforce. Of these 8 are on a compressed hours arrangement.

On 24 October 2024 the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time.

If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction it will be dealt with via existing performance management processes and ultimately with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.

Published data on office attendance for 102 Petty France is available https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-headquarters-occupancy-data.

No. There are not any requirements for Attorney General's Office staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person.

The Government Legal Department (GLD) has staff based in five sites across the country; 102 Petty France, London; 1 Ruskin Square, Croydon; 7-8 Wellington Place, Leeds; 2 Rivergate, Bristol; and Three New Bailey, Manchester. GLD staff in each of these locations are expected to book a desk using the dedicated desk booking system; client-based legal teams follow local protocols.

HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate books desks for staff attending both their offices through systems run by the GLD for London and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (as the major occupier) for the York office.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has staff based in 37 sites across the country, a full list of which is annexed to this answer. CPS staff in each of these locations are expected to book a desk using the dedicated desk booking system; client-based legal teams follow local protocols.

Staff at the Serious Fraud Office are not required to book a desk in advance to attend the office.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) is based in one location in London, at 102 Petty France. For the period 28 October to 22 November 2024, an average of 27 desks were occupied. For the same period, 57 civil servants were assigned to work at the AGO and on average 27 members of staff attended the office in person at any one time (this figure does not take account of annual leave, sickness, attending training or other government buildings).

The Attorney General’s Office is based in only one location in London, at 102 Petty France. I refer the Hon Member to the first line of my response to UIN 9602 tabled on Wednesday 6 November 2024. Please also refer to my response to UIN 9603 tabled on Friday 25 October 2024.

As many flexible working arrangements, including compressed hours working, are agreed and recorded at a team level, the information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments.

In Cabinet Office, Line Managers are expected to be aware of, and ensure compliance with, the minimum 60% attendance expectation for their direct reports. Data on workforce attendance is not collated centrally by the department.

Where employees fail to reach or maintain expected attendance levels, beyond what is agreed with their line manager as part of workplace adjustments or caring responsibilities, due consideration is given as to whether it is reasonable to take disciplinary action. The level of sanction will be dependent upon the individual circumstances of the case.

Cabinet Office staff are encouraged to book desks, but it is not mandatory.

Similarly, of the Cabinet Office's arm's length bodies that directly employ their own staff, none mandate booking a desk in order to attend the office in person.

All furniture and AV equipment has been, and must be, sourced from the GPA's Approved Supplier's catalogue.

An itemised breakdown of spending is as follows (all costs are excluding VAT unless otherwise specified):

Furniture for existing Ministerial Offices:

• Chairs x 6 - £7,384

Two of the chairs are in use within the Secretary of State's office and the other four are used in other areas of the office.

Furniture for new Ministerial Offices:

• Height adjustable desk - £1,566
• Armchair - £1,033
• Meeting Chairs x 14 - £12,964
• Furniture to house AudioAV equipment - £4,158.42
• Delivery, installation and dismantling and re-positioning of existing furniture - £1602.07 (including VAT)

The number of Ministers in DESNZ increased by one following the general election, the result of which was a higher than usual spend to facilitate the creation of an additional office.

Cost of Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves:

• Porterage for over 5 days and rental of crates for 90 days - £13,387.93
• Floor power alterations within the Ministerial Office, their Private Office and Waiting Room - £2,241.24

Porterage was carried out between 5-15 July. All other work was commissioned on, or after, 15 July and completed by, or before, 19 October.

The Floor Power Alterations were to install additional power boxes within the floor due to the increased space utilisation. Please note this item was not correctly identified and included in the response to PQ UIN 12890.

All furniture and AV equipment has been, and must be, sourced from the GPA's Approved Supplier's catalogue.

An itemised breakdown of spending is as follows (all costs are excluding VAT unless otherwise specified):

Furniture for existing Ministerial Offices:

• Chairs x 6 - £7,384

Two of the chairs are in use within the Secretary of State's office and the other four are used in other areas of the office.

Furniture for new Ministerial Offices:

• Height adjustable desk - £1,566
• Armchair - £1,033
• Meeting Chairs x 14 - £12,964
• Furniture to house AudioAV equipment - £4,158.42
• Delivery, installation and dismantling and re-positioning of existing furniture - £1602.07 (including VAT)

The number of Ministers in DESNZ increased by one following the general election, the result of which was a higher than usual spend to facilitate the creation of an additional office.

Cost of Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves:

• Porterage for over 5 days and rental of crates for 90 days - £13,387.93
• Floor power alterations within the Ministerial Office, their Private Office and Waiting Room - £2,241.24

Porterage was carried out between 5-15 July. All other work was commissioned on, or after, 15 July and completed by, or before, 19 October.

The Floor Power Alterations were to install additional power boxes within the floor due to the increased space utilisation. Please note this item was not correctly identified and included in the response to PQ UIN 12890.

The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is committed to supporting flexible working practices. Employees may request alternative working patterns to help balance their professional and personal responsibilities, as long as business requirements are met. Compressed hours enable an individual to complete their contracted full-time weekly hours across longer daily working hours over fewer days, with no change to their salary.

In most instances, staff are not required to record flexible working arrangements within the central HR Management system, as these agreements are managed directly with their line manager. Consequently, we are unable to provide the numbers.

On 24 October 2024 the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. Due to space constraints the department has set the requirement of 40% for delegated grades.

The department does not hold information on the number of staff who have met the minimum office attendance target. See Civil Service Headquarters occupancy data for published information covering departmental headquarters building occupancy. The department introduced a process to record office attendance information from 4 August 2025. This data is not yet available.

Staff who operate under the department’s hybrid working policy are expected to meet the minimum office attendance requirements. If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction it will be dealt with via existing performance management processes and ultimately with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.

DBT and FCDO frequently engage on how best to deliver the government’s growth mission, including by supporting UK exports and investment across North Africa.

The Department for Business and Trade’s team in Morocco focusses on the business opportunities which will create the most value for the UK economy. An example of this is the work the Department is doing on infrastructure projects, ahead of Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

DBT and FCDO frequently engage on how best to deliver the government’s growth mission, including by supporting UK exports and investment across North Africa.

The Department for Business and Trade’s team in Morocco focusses on the business opportunities which will create the most value for the UK economy. An example of this is the work the Department is doing on infrastructure projects, ahead of Morocco’s co-hosting of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

The UK continues to support UN-led efforts to reach a just, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution, based on compromise, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.

Desk booking systems are in use at several DBT’s offices, including its London headquarters. Except for offices at Caxton House, London, it is not compulsory for people to book a desk for them to attend the office in person.

Arms length bodies have their own individual policies and procedures relating to desk booking.

The Department’s flexible working policy sets out the types of formal and informal flexible working available to our employees.

All eligible employees have a statutory right to request flexible working arrangements, including, for example, part time working and compressed hours.

In addition, some informal flexible working arrangements within the parameters of the policy are managed locally. Central information on the proportion of Departmental employees with flexible working arrangements is therefore not held.

Employees are expected to spend a minimum of 40% of their working hours in the office. Office attendance requirements are managed locally to ensure employees are meeting the requirements, and no central data is held on this.

Line Managers are responsible for ensuring the requirements are met and taking steps to address any non-compliance, including consideration of disciplinary action should that be necessary.

Civil servants who work in the Department’s office locations are asked to book a space to work from the office. In 12 buildings this is a booking for a specific desk, and in 3 buildings it is for an unspecified working space on a particular floor within the building.

Desk booking services for arm’s-length bodies within the Department are not centrally held, and would come at disproportionate cost to the Department in producing this information.

Details of Ministers’ and Permanent Secretaries' meetings with external individuals and organisations are published quarterly in arrears on GOV.UK.

Published declarations include the purpose of the meeting and the names of any additional external organisations or individuals in attendance.

There are 571 desks in 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place. The average daily building attendance between week commencing 16 September through to week commencing 7 October was 900. The average number of daily building attendees exceeds the number of desks due to usage of meeting rooms and other parts of the building.

Figures are provided for the Department’s main London occupation at 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place only, which are two adjacent conjoined buildings, and the only office location where attendance figures enabling desk occupancy to be calculated are available, and which is occupied solely by the Department’s staff.

The Department’s flexible working policy sets out the types of formal and informal flexible working available to our employees.

All eligible employees have a statutory right to request flexible working arrangements, including, for example, part time working and compressed hours.

In addition, some informal flexible working arrangements within the parameters of the policy are managed locally. Central information on the proportion of Departmental employees with flexible working arrangements is therefore not held.

Currently, there are 289 employees formally working compressed hours.

Employees are expected to spend a minimum of 40% of their working hours in the office. Office attendance requirements are managed locally to ensure employees are meeting the requirements, and no central data is held on this.

Line Managers are responsible for ensuring the requirements are met and taking steps to address any non-compliance, including consideration of disciplinary action should that be necessary.

Civil servants who work in the Department’s office locations are asked to book a space to work from the office. In 16 buildings this is a booking for a specific desk, and in 3 buildings it is for an unspecified working space on a particular floor within the building.

Desk booking services for arm’s-length bodies within the Department are not centrally held, and would come at disproportionate cost to the Department in producing this information.