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 (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.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.

Following the dissolution of the last Parliament on 30 May 2024 and before the General Election on 4 July 2024, and prior to the appointment of the Attorney General and I, officials in the Attorney General’s Office arranged for the two ministerial offices to be modestly refurbished. The refurbishment was completed on 30 June 2024 and the costs are set out below.

For the period 2 to 27 September 2024, there were 54 civil servants assigned to work in the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and 42 desks available.

The AGO superintends the Law Officers’ Departments: Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Government Legal Department (GLD), HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI), and Serious Fraud Office (SFO). Further information on the Law Officers’ Departments is set out below.

As of 30 September 2024, the CPS had a headcount of 7,286 allocated against 4,347 desks.

The 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.

For the period 2 to 27 September 2024, the table below shows a breakdown of the number of civil servants based in GLD offices and the number of desks in each office.

Please note that data for 102 Petty France, London, includes 10 HMCPSI staff, which share this office.

HMCPSI also shares office space with the CPS in Foss House, York. For the same period, HMCPSI had 10 civil servants assigned to work in Foss House.

As of 30 September 2024, the SFO had 534 permanent employees and 133 temporary agency workers, a total of 667 people. The total number of desks available is 432.

The Government Property Agency has confirmed £42,095.42 excluding VAT was spent on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) in relation to private offices for the Department for Energy, Security and Net Zero ministers. This is broken down as follows;

• New Furniture and Fittings - £28,707.49

• Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves - £13,387.93

It should be noted that 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 an additional office.

The Government Property Agency has confirmed £18074.22 excluding VAT was spent since the dissolution of parliament on 30th May on new furniture and fittings plus other refurbishment (including moves) in relation to private offices for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. This is broken down as follows;

• New Furniture and Fittings - £9985.38

• Other Refurbishment of Ministerial Offices including moves - £8088.84, of which £4,821.76 was incurred between 30th May and July 4th.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

Owing to security considerations, I am unable to provide information specifically relating to the number of desks in each office for which you have requested information. However, the total full-time equivalent headcount of Civil Servants is provided in the table below:

The Government publishes the monthly average number of staff working in Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) buildings, published on a quarterly basis at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.

A response to the Hon Gentleman’s Question of 17 October is attached.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.

Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

I refer the (Rt.) Hon. Member to my response to question 9606, tabled on 16^th October 2024.

Please see below a summary of the number of staff assigned by each location and the number of desks per location as of 30th September 2024:

*We have several offices across the country that are listed under Regional Offices, it would exceed the word count if these were to be listed in totality.

Since the dissolution of the last Parliament, the Department for Business and Trade has not spent any money on:

a) new furniture or fittings for Minister’s offices or

b) other refurbishment of Ministerial offices

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published today, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

Please see below a summary of the number of staff assigned by each location and the number of desks per location as of 30^th September 2024:

*We have several offices across the country that are listed under Regional Offices, it would exceed the word count if these were to be listed in totality.

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 is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA) at all its office locations. The office where the Department’s ministers are located is a GPA Hub building, where GPA is the landlord and building manager and the Department is a tenant. GPA is responsible for the fit out, furnishing and refurbishment of all office spaces, which includes ministerial offices.

The number of civil servants assigned to the Department’s office locations, and how many desks are available in each office location, are shown below:

Notes:

In all locations except 55 Whitehall and 3-8 Whitehall Place, London and Old Admiralty Building, London, the Department’s staff are located in shared spaces with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. The desk figures shown are for both Government departments.

The Government’s position is not to force anyone to rip out a working boiler and will incentivise moves to cleaner, affordable heating.

The Government has started delivery of the Warm Homes Plan, which will offer grants and low interest loans to support investment in insulation, heat pumps and other home improvements to cut bills.

More detail will be set out in due course.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications on a quarterly basis. The data is published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 5 November to Question 9825.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most

staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office

occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further

publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA) at all its office locations. The office where the Department’s ministers are located is a GPA building, where GPA is the landlord and building manager and the Department is a tenant. GPA is responsible for the fit out, furnishing and refurbishment of all office spaces, which includes ministerial offices.

The number of civil servants assigned to the Department’s office locations, and how many desks are available in each office location, are shown below:

I can confirm that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not spent any money on new furniture and fittings or other refurbishment of Ministerial offices in her Department since the dissolution of the last Parliament.

Our most recently available figures are for the month of August. Our London HQ saw an average of 81% desk utilisation and 171 staff attending the office per day. In our secondary Manchester HQ desk utilisation was 74% for that same month. This gives an overall average of 78% usage across our primary headquarters.

Heads of department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July to September has been published, with further publications to happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.

I refer the hon. Member for Bridgewater to the answer of 20 November 2024 to Question 9067.

Due to commercial sensitivity, it is against departmental policy to publish invoices.

Heads of department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July to September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data.

Since the dissolution of the last Parliament, the only purchase relating to Ministerial furniture was at a cost of £1,627.50. This spend incorporates:

•  Low back, full upholstered meeting chair – Quantity 3.

There have been some modifications to the offices to facilitate additional flexibility in set up and use of the Ministerial rooms. This has been at a cost of £12,886.71. This spend incorporates:
•  Relocation of floor boxes including raising access floor.

•  Supply and install of cabling, sockets, data plates and residual current devices.

•  Standard Liability cover.

•  Labour.

•  Out of hours working.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 November to Question 9616.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment. This Government has wasted no time in announcing a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver on our legally binding targets to save nature and this includes how best to manage chemicals. Further details will be provided in due course.

Heads of Department have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Office occupancy data for the period July - September has been published, with further publications to now happen on a quarterly basis. The data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data

Attached is the data for how many Civil Servants are assigned to work in each departments office as of August 2024.

Below is the data for how many desks are available in policy hubs from October 2024. The reason we have only given this data, is that all other buildings are predominantly utilised by the Environment Agency. No Data is given for CEFAS or VMD, as we don’t hold that information