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Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Health and Safety
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to comply with principle (d) of schedule 1 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra designs work and workplaces to adapt to the needs of the individual so far as is reasonably practicable.

Defra’s Health and Safety Policy, and Management System, focuses on the principles of prevention of all work-related harm. Work tasks and activities of the individual are risk assessed by the business using a framework of policies and good practice guidance (based on legislation and Health and Safety Executive legal guidance) to develop safe systems of work. Line managers are responsible for ensuring that work roles and tasks are suited to the individual and that employees are competent to carry out tasks and roles safely and without risk to physical or psychological health.

The majority of Defra workplaces provide a range of flexible workspaces, furniture and equipment to suit the work activity of the team or individual. Bespoke or specialist items are provided if an employee requires personal adaptations for health and safety purposes or workplace adjustments in accordance with the Equality Act 2010.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Access to Work Programme
Friday 23rd June 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether an Access to Work scheme has been implemented in their Department.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Access to Work is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which contributes to the disability-related extra costs of working faced by disabled people and those with a health condition in the workplace that are beyond standard reasonable adjustments. It does not replace an employer’s duty under the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments.

In 2006, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) took over responsibility for providing adjustments that would previously have been funded through Access to Work, for civil servants working in their department. This removed the need for DWP staff to apply for Access to Work. In April 2022, all Government departments followed suit and assumed responsibility for providing such adjustments for their staff.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Holiday Leave
Wednesday 17th May 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra pays holiday pay to employees in recognition of ‘normal remuneration’ during periods of statutory leave, in line with the ruling. This includes voluntary payments such as overtime and on-call.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Conditions of Employment
Wednesday 8th February 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if they will take steps to (a) publish an equality impact assessment and (b) consult with trade unions when proposing new HR policies for their Department; and if they will make a statement.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

a) Equality Impact Assessments:

i. An Equality Impact Assessment is carried out for all new HR policies in Defra. Our HR Policy Team routinely considers equality impacts in relation to new HR policies and significant changes to existing HR policies and takes advice as necessary from our HR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Team to ensure compliance with our Public Sector Equality Duty.

ii. For new policies and where there is a significant change in policy, staff networks are consulted in preparation of the Equality Impact Assessment to ensure that potential equality impacts are identified and addressed.

iii. The Equality Impact Assessments are not routinely published but are available to staff on request.

b) Trade unions are always consulted in the development of new HR policies in Defra, through regular meetings between Defra HR and trade union representatives.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992
Monday 6th February 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps their Department takes to comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992; and if they will make a statement.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There is a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK and which is therefore publicly available.

Defra has a Departmental Employee Relations Framework, agreed with its three recognised trade unions (PCS, Prospect and FDA), which sets out the principles under which the Department and the unions should conduct and build their rela-tionship. It aims to ensure appropriate negotiation, consultation and information sharing between managers and TU representatives is conducted in accordance with agreed principles and legislative requirements.

This framework specifically references how the Department shares appropriate in-formation with the unions to allow for effective collective bargaining.

In addition, Defra meets regularly with its recognised Trade Unions and presents and shares a range of information and data where it is appropriate and in line with privacy statements. This helps inform decision making through formal negotiation and meaningful consultation and engagement.

Defra is therefore complying with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Rela-tions (Consolidation) Act 1992 and we always seek to work constructively with trade unions to reach fair and reasonable settlements.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Holiday Leave
Friday 3rd February 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

a) No and b) No.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equality
Tuesday 31st January 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure her Department complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code; and whether that monitoring data gathered is shared with union representatives.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra Group complies with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code and regularly monitors EDI data, as regards all protected characteristics as defined in the Equality Act 2010.

This Data is captured via self-declaration via Shared Serves Platform. This data is utilised to monitor all aspects of employee lifecycle, including recruitment, retention, in year award / recognition, performance ratings, L&D / Talent and promotions to ensure equal access of opportunity to all. Furthermore, Equality impact Assessments are conducted at the point of policy creation and revision in order to assess impact and effectiveness of internal policies and action plans across protected characteristics.

All monitoring data collated and analysed by the department is shared with the trade unions representing staff covered by the Departmental Trade Union framework (the core department and Executive Agencies), Natural England and the Environment Agency. Workforce data is published annually via Defra Annual Report.

Please note, that 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code (CSMC) does not place an obligation on departments to share this information with their representative trade unions.

We have made good progress in recent years in diversifying the Civil Service. The percentage of civil servants from an ethnic minority background is at 15.0% and the percentage of those who declare themselves disabled is at 14.0%. Staff who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or other (LGBO) is 6.1% and the proportion of female civil servants stands at 54.5%. These rates are all at their highest recorded levels. However, we know there is still progress to be made in ensuring we are representative of the citizens we serve across all our grades.

The new Civil Service Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2022-2025 recognises our success and builds on this good work to encourage a broader range of people into the Civil Service to give depth to our understanding of contemporary society in the United Kingdom. It provides the necessary framing for diversity and inclusion activity in the Civil Service as part of our wider workforce strategy, and through that, how the Civil Service delivers for its people, the Government and our citizens.

A link to the Civil Service statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Minimum Wage
Tuesday 31st January 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is committed to paying people a decent living wage, which is being addressed through the statutory National Living Wage. In April 2022, the Government increased the National Living Wage to £9.50 per hour. This will rise to £10.42 an hour from 1 April 2023, an increase of 9.7%.

By 2024, the Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings.

The Government will always award contracts on the basis of the best value for money for the taxpayer.

Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Liv-ing Wage and National Minimum Wage.

The total number of civil servants in the Department for the Environment, Food and rural Affairs paid at or below the National Minimum Wage rate per hour was zero and at the National Living Wage rate per hour or below was zero as at January 25th 2023.


Written Question
Veterinary Services
Thursday 19th January 2023

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with the RCVS Veterinary Nurses Council on changing the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 to (a) replace the criminal standard of proof with the civil standard and (b) make improvements to the Fitness to Practise disciplinary system.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is grateful for the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) recommendations for reforming the Veterinary Surgeons Act to ensure that vets and veterinary nurses are regulated in line with modern regulatory practice in the future. My officials have maintained regular contact with RCVS on these matters. Defra supports the need to make changes to improve veterinary retention and simplify the rules and processes used. The Government's legislation for the forthcoming session will be announced in due course. The department will continue to work with stakeholders and RCVS to prioritise other non-legislative work to support improvements to veterinary retention.


Written Question
Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966
Thursday 17th November 2022

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to update the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is aware of the many potential benefits associated with updating the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 and is considering the most effective and proportionate approach for full or partial reform of the Act. There is currently no timescale as to when any reforms of this legislation might take place. Any proposals taken forward would be subject to a public consultation.