Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will urgently review the requirement that employees are only permitted to request the right to work flexibly after they have served a 26-week period in post.

The Government is committed to bringing forward an Employment Bill when Parliamentary time allows, to protect and enhance worker’s rights as we build back better from the pandemic.

Given the profound effects the pandemic is having on the economy and on the labour market, the Government has taken unprecedented but necessary steps to support business and protect jobs and will continue to do so.

In 2019 the Government committed to encourage flexible working and consult on making it the default unless employers have good reasons not to. The consultation will happen in due course.