Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the ratio is of desks to staff in his Department.

I refer the hon. Member for Brighton, Kemptown to the answer I gave on 17 May 2022 to Question 434.

The department’s staff are spending plenty of time in the office working together, building professional connections and promoting innovation, but we are also giving flexibility where that helps people work more effectively.

That’s why on 27 April 2022, the department asked its staff to start by looking at spending 80% of their working time in the office – including visits to schools, colleges or other sites – alongside the flexibility for managers to adjust that to between 60% and 80%, if that works better for them and the work the department does. These arrangements can include even more flexibility to support caring responsibilities or health concerns. This approach also recognises that there are a wide range of reasons, beyond flexible working, why not all our staff need desks at any given time, this includes annual leave and reasonable adjustments that allow people to work remotely where necessary

This is an approach that fits with the amount of desk space that the department has, gives the department full and vibrant offices, but also retains flexibility to work in different ways when needed. This is positive for our business and staff, and positive for the children and learners we serve every day.