Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government, in respect of the principal offices of each government department located in central London, (1) what temperature the offices are heated to during working hours in winter, and (2) what assessment they have made of the advantages and disadvantages of reducing that temperature by 2°C.

The government must meet the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal obligation on employers to provide a 'reasonable' temperature in the workplace. The current operational temperatures in open plan offices vary across government.

We are following, and closely monitoring, industry and HSE guidance in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of reducing the operational temperature setpoint by 2°C.