Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to page 48 of the Defence Equipment & Support Annual Report and Accounts 2022-23, what weakness he has identified in delivery management oversight from staff working remotely.

Defence Equipment and Support identified the relatively sudden shift to 'large scale' Working From Home as a result of the C-19 pandemic may have resulted in some employees not receiving the appropriate levels of duty of care from their delivery managers which UK legislation describes and mandates. As a result, a Training Needs Analysis was carried out which established the need for additional training.

A series of measures to address this training need have been implemented, including new Health and Safety training for all employees and managers. All Occupational Health and Safety policy and guidance has been reviewed to ensure it covers both office and remote scenarios.