Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make assessment of the potential merits of flexible working in her Department.

DWP recognises the potential merits of flexible working and has experience over decades of offering and allowing a variety of flexibilities. Flexible working hours, compressed hours, part-time hours, part-year working and partial retirement are firmly established practices across DWP, enjoyed at any time by thousands of our employees. Latterly, our flexible working offer has been added to with appropriate hybrid and home working. We will continue to keep our flexible working offer under review to ensure it reflects good employment practices, is legally compliant and appropriate for DWP’s public service function, and attractive for current and future employees we wish to recruit and retain in a competitive jobs market.