Asked by: Florence Eshalomi (Labour (Co-op) - Vauxhall)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what payments were made to civil servants in her Department for relocation costs to government offices outside London in 2021
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No re-location costs were paid to staff for moves from London to other locations during 2021.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many indirectly employed by the Government who are based outside London are paid less than £9.90 per hour.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 1,440 civil servants based in London earning less than £11.05 an hour.
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 29,100 civil servants based outside London (including overseas) earning less than £9.90 an hour.
Pay for civil servants below the senior civil service is delegated to individual departments to determine. In April 2022, the National Living Wage increased to £9.50 an hour, however at the reference point for these figures (31st March 2021) it was £8.72 an hour.
The Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings by 2024. Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.
These figures are estimates based on full-time equivalent gross salary earnings, working hours, and location information collected as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey as at 31st March 2021. A small proportion of civil servants do not have a reported location or salary in this centrally held data, and have not been included in these figures. Information on earnings of the broader public sector and all those indirectly employed by the Government is not held centrally.
These estimates may differ from those calculated by aggregating figures directly requested from individual departments.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people directly employed by the Government who are based outside London are paid less than £9.90 per hour.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 1,440 civil servants based in London earning less than £11.05 an hour.
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 29,100 civil servants based outside London (including overseas) earning less than £9.90 an hour.
Pay for civil servants below the senior civil service is delegated to individual departments to determine. In April 2022, the National Living Wage increased to £9.50 an hour, however at the reference point for these figures (31st March 2021) it was £8.72 an hour.
The Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings by 2024. Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.
These figures are estimates based on full-time equivalent gross salary earnings, working hours, and location information collected as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey as at 31st March 2021. A small proportion of civil servants do not have a reported location or salary in this centrally held data, and have not been included in these figures. Information on earnings of the broader public sector and all those indirectly employed by the Government is not held centrally.
These estimates may differ from those calculated by aggregating figures directly requested from individual departments.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people indirectly employed the Government who are based in London are paid less than £11.05 per hour.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 1,440 civil servants based in London earning less than £11.05 an hour.
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 29,100 civil servants based outside London (including overseas) earning less than £9.90 an hour.
Pay for civil servants below the senior civil service is delegated to individual departments to determine. In April 2022, the National Living Wage increased to £9.50 an hour, however at the reference point for these figures (31st March 2021) it was £8.72 an hour.
The Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings by 2024. Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.
These figures are estimates based on full-time equivalent gross salary earnings, working hours, and location information collected as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey as at 31st March 2021. A small proportion of civil servants do not have a reported location or salary in this centrally held data, and have not been included in these figures. Information on earnings of the broader public sector and all those indirectly employed by the Government is not held centrally.
These estimates may differ from those calculated by aggregating figures directly requested from individual departments.
Asked by: Imran Hussain (Labour - Bradford East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people directly employed by the Government who are based in London are paid less than £11.05 per hour.
Answered by Heather Wheeler
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 1,440 civil servants based in London earning less than £11.05 an hour.
As at 31 March 2021 there were an estimated 29,100 civil servants based outside London (including overseas) earning less than £9.90 an hour.
Pay for civil servants below the senior civil service is delegated to individual departments to determine. In April 2022, the National Living Wage increased to £9.50 an hour, however at the reference point for these figures (31st March 2021) it was £8.72 an hour.
The Government has committed that the National Living Wage will reach 66% of median UK earnings by 2024. Departments must ensure that they apply the legislative increase to the National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage.
These figures are estimates based on full-time equivalent gross salary earnings, working hours, and location information collected as part of the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey as at 31st March 2021. A small proportion of civil servants do not have a reported location or salary in this centrally held data, and have not been included in these figures. Information on earnings of the broader public sector and all those indirectly employed by the Government is not held centrally.
These estimates may differ from those calculated by aggregating figures directly requested from individual departments.
Asked by: Douglas Chapman (Scottish National Party - Dunfermline and West Fife)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the recent announcement of Government plans to reduce the number of civil servants by 91,000, what estimate he has made of the likely reduction in the number of staff in his Department located in Dunfermline and West Fife constituency as a result of those plans.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department does not have any civil servants with a contractual work location within the Dunfermline and West Fife constituency.
Asked by: Jeff Smith (Labour - Manchester, Withington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to provide additional support for travel costs of civil servants identified for consolidation at her Department's office at Manchester Chorlton Graeme House.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 405 colleagues located in Manchester Chorlton Graeme House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Manchester Anchorage Salford Quays or Stockport Millennium House, based on where their role will be based. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
· Income Deprivation
· Employment Deprivation
· Education, Skills and Training Deprivation
· Health Deprivation and Disability
· Crime
· Barriers to Housing and Services
· Living Environment Deprivation
On current plans, the Department expects to exit Manchester Chorlton Graeme House by September 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether additional travel support will be provided to civil servants employed at the Durham House site which has been identified for consolidation.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The changes the Department is making to estates will both improve the working environment for staff, become greener by becoming smaller, helping meet the Government’s carbon reduction target, and provide value for money for the taxpayer.
As of March 2022, 905 colleagues located in Washington Durham House are being asked to relocate, with their role, to Sunderland Wearview House. Each colleague will have a discussion with their line manager to assess the impact of the move on them and if they are able to relocate. The Department’s priority will be to retain, retrain and redeploy colleagues either within DWP, or within other Government Departments in the area. As a responsible employer, we will make provision for redundancies if it is necessary. However, this will be a very last resort after all efforts to redeploy have been exhausted.
An overarching Equality Assessment has been completed which considers the impact on colleagues. This has been made available in the House Library. Individual site Assessments have also been prepared. The planning of an office closure includes consideration of factors including the ‘Index of Multiple Deprivation’ for each location, which considers many factors, including:
The Department currently expects to exit Washington Durham House by November 2022. Should redeployment mean additional travel costs, colleagues may qualify for an Excess Fares payment to cover those costs. These costs would be paid for up to three years.
Asked by: Sharon Hodgson (Labour - Washington and Sunderland West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect of the consolidation of Durham House on levels of hybrid working among affected civil servants.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The adoption of hybrid working practices has been carefully and fully considered. The introduction of hybrid working arrangements by the Department for back of house functions means that staff will only need to work on average 40% of their working week in the new location. DWP aims to utilise its hybrid working policy to help facilitate more inclusive workplaces, which are capable of adapting to the needs of employees and the Department.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effect on hybrid working among affected civil servants of the consolidation of the Department for Work and Pensions office in Seaham.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The adoption of hybrid working practices has been carefully and fully considered. The introduction of hybrid working arrangements by the Department for back of house functions means that staff will only need to work on average 40% of their working week in the new location.