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Written Question
Social Work England: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Friday 21st October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by Social Work England (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by the Department for Education and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

Staff employed by Social Work England:

(a) have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the Department; and

(b) are not currently able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
Children's Commissioner for England: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Friday 21st October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Office of the Children's Commissioner (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Kelly Tolhurst

Staff employed by the Office of the Children’s Commissioner have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department and are able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
LocatED: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Friday 21st October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by LocatED (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Jonathan Gullis

Staff employed by LocatED have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the Department, and are not currently able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
Student Loans Company: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Student Loan Company (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

Staff employed by the Student Loan Company (SLC) have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department. Since March 2020, SLC staff are able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
Office for Students: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Office for Students (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by the Department for Education and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

Staff employed by the Office for Students have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department and are able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education is a separate employer to the Department for Education. However, as its employees are civil servants, some of its terms and conditions of employment will be consistent with the department. Staff of the Institute can join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
Engineering Construction Industry Training Board: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

Staff employed by the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department and are not currently able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
CITB: Conditions of Employment and Workplace Pensions
Thursday 20th October 2022

Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether staff employed by the Construction Industry Training Board (a) have the same terms and conditions of employment as staff employed directly by his Department and (b) are able to join the Civil Service Pension Scheme.

Answered by Andrea Jenkyns

Staff employed by the Construction Industry Training Board and the Engineering Construction Industry Training Board have different terms and conditions of employment from staff employed by the department and are not currently able to join the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme.


Written Question
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Wednesday 30th March 2022

Asked by: Baroness Randerson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they first became aware of alleged problems with the employment terms and conditions at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency; what steps they took to improve the level of service by that body; and when those steps were taken.

Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)

The Government is not aware of any issues with the employment terms and conditions at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) which are in line with the rest of the Civil Service.

The quickest and easiest way to transact with the DVLA is by using its extensive suite of online services. There are no delays in successful online applications and customers should receive their documents within a few days.

However, many people still choose or have to make a paper application and the DVLA receives around 60,000 items of mail every day. The Government understands the impact that delays in processing paper applications can have on the daily lives of individuals and the DVLA is working hard to reduce waiting times. The DVLA has introduced additional online services, recruited more staff, increased overtime working and has opened new customer service centres in Swansea and Birmingham to reduce backlogs and provide future resilience. These measures are having a positive impact and customers should continue to see an improving picture in terms of waiting times for paper applications.

The DVLA also prioritised vocational licence applications to support the Government’s response to the driver shortage, and there have been no delays in straightforward applications for vocational licences, including renewals, since November 2021. The applications are being processed within normal turnaround times of five working days.

There may be additional delays in processing more complex transactions, for example if medical investigations are needed but the large majority of applicants will be able to continue driving while their application is being processed. The latest information on turnaround times for paper driving licence applications can be found here.


Written Question
Disability: Employment
Tuesday 8th February 2022

Asked by: Vicky Foxcroft (Labour - Lewisham, Deptford)

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 Part One of the National Disability Strategy published July 2021, what recent steps his Department has taken on (a) encouraging and supporting workplace disability networks, (b) achieving and maintaining the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensuring responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) developing and embedding flexible working.

Answered by Lee Rowley - Minister of State (Minister for Housing)

The Department has taken the following steps:

a) BEIS has an existing disability network which brings together colleagues with disabilities and long-term health conditions. The network is supported by a champion from the Senior Civil Service and has access to Purple Space, which is a professional development hub for disability network leaders.

b) BEIS was accredited as a Disability Confident Leader in 2017 and was successfully reaccredited in 2020. This was validated by Business Disability Forum (BDF) and the Department continues to work closely with BDF as well as the disability network to ensure that BEIS maintains the standards of a Disability Confident Leader.

c) Support is given at recruitment stage for reasonable adjustments or in the event of ill health during employment. We have specialist software readily available to support several different disabilities, policies that allow flexible working patterns, and access to specialist equipment.

d) BEIS has developed a wide range of flexible working practices that have been operating since our creation in 2016. A recent addition is the opportunity for staff to work in a hybrid way (a blend of office and home working).