Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what their Departments policy is on Civil Servants in their Department working from home and receiving the London Weighting Allowance.

Flexible working is a fundamental aspect of the Department’s employment offer which is consistent with other sectors. Flexible working arrangements enable the Department to make efficient use of resources, and ensure that it can attract and retain a diversity of talent.

As part of this approach, the Department offers hybrid working arrangements which requires civil servants to spend a minimum of two days in the office each week, and the option of working from home the remainder of the time. Most Departmental employees will be working on a hybrid basis or be entirely based in the workplace.

Pay arrangements, including for staff based in London, are delegated to each department. In the Department, London weighting has been consolidated into an inner London and outer London pay range. Employees on these pay ranges are expected to attend the office they are tagged to in line with hybrid working arrangements.