Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether all (a) buildings and (b) workplaces staff from their Department occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
All buildings and workplaces occupied by staff from my Department have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 in place.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, 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 David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. Our employment services, including HR policies, are provided by the Ministry of Justice who ensure that equality impact assessments are published as appropriate and that relevant trade unions are consulted when proposing new HR policies.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, 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 David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. Our employment services are provided by the Ministry of Justice who comply with section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 and share appropriate information with departmental trade unions on our behalf.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of employees in their Department are paid at the rate of the National Minimum Wage.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provides employment services on our behalf. The Department currently has 49 staff in post, all of whom are paid at a rate higher than the National Minimum Wage.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, whether his Department has notified staff to (a) tell or (b) remind them that they can sell annual leave in the last four months.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right and our employment services are provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). As the Department follows MoJ employment policies, all staff have access to their Annual leave policy statement and Flexible Benefits package via the MoJ internet, which outlines details on buying and selling annual leave.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what human resources information their Department shares with trade unions on a regular basis.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. Our employment services are provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who regularly share appropriate information with departmental trade unions on our behalf. There is also a range of HR information which is published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what steps he is taking to ensure his 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 David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
My Department regularly reviews Human Resources (HR) data to ensure compliance with section 2.1.6 of the Civil Service Management Code. The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. Our employment services including HR policies are provided by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) who share appropriate monitoring data with departmental trade unions on our behalf.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of his Department's compliance with the requirement in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Government recognises there are significant benefits to both employers and employees when organisations and unions work together effectively to deliver high quality public services, but facility time within the public sector must be accountable and represent value for money.
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales (OSSW) understands that it has an obligation to provide reasonable paid time off to recognised trade union representatives to undertake trade union duties. This includes paid time off for safety representatives as set out in section 3.1.8 of the Civil Service Management Code.
The Office is not an employer in its own right. Our staff are employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ provides trade union representation for OSSW staff.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the effect of the General Data Protection Regulation on the right of recognised unions to access bargaining information in his Department in relation to section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Answered by David T C Davies - Secretary of State for Wales
The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. The Ministry of Justice provide employment services on our behalf. However, the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation has not affected the rights of unions in the Ministry of Justice in relation to bargaining information provided under section 181 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Wales Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what estimate he has made of the additional staff required by his Department in the event that the UK leaves the EU (a) with and (b) without a deal.
Answered by Nigel Adams
Work to prepare for a successful EU exit is a key priority for the Office of the Secretary of State for Wales. The Office was allocated additional EU exit funding to create five new posts for this financial year.