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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps her Department is taking to encourage employers to offer flexible working to their employees.

All employees with 26 weeks’ continuous service with their employer have the right to request Flexible Working.

The Government wants to take this further and, subject to further consultation, we will look to introduce steps in an employment bill to make flexible working the default - unless employers have good reason not to.

The Government has also consulted on proposals for large employers (with over 250 employees) to publish their parental leave and pay and flexible working policies and to advertise jobs as open to flexible working.  We are considering next steps.