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Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food;Central Science Laboratory;Veterinary Laboratories Agency;Meat Hygiene Service;Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science

Answer

Caroline Flint: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provisions are made available to (i) departmental staff and (ii) employees of executive agencies under the control of his Department, for (a) maternity leave, (b) maternity pay, (c) paternity leave, (d) parental leave, (e) flexible working hours, (f) part-time work, (g) job sharing, (h) leave to care for sick children, (i) home-working, (j) term-time contracts, (k) annual hours contract, (l) child care allowances, (m) careers' leave and (n) career break schemes; and what criteria are used to judge eligibility in each case. [108848] Mr. Morley: My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, set out in his reply of 15 February 2000, Official Report, columns 518-20W, the importance of family friendly policies to the Civil Service Reform programme. MAFF shares this commitment to develop policies to enable staff to achieve a better balance between their work and private lives. Provisions already exist in core MAFF for flexible working practices and patterns and we will be building on these in taking forward work on diversity. These provisions are set out in a Staff Handbook to which all employees in the Department have easy access. They apply to both full-time and part-time staff. Requests are generally considered in accordance with these provisions. Where there is discretion, requests are dealt with on their merits on an individual basis. The maternity and paternity arrangements are provided in conjunction with the statutory entitlements available to employees, as are the arrangements for time off to care for dependents. I will write to my hon. Friend with fuller details of the provisions available. In respect of MAFF Agencies, responsibility for such matters is delegated to Agency Chief Executives. Similar policies to core MAFF operate in the Farm and Rural Conservation Agency, the Pesticides Safety Directorate and Veterinary Medicines Directorate. I have asked the Chief Executives of the Central Science Laboratory, Veterinary Laboratory, Meat Hygiene Service and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Agencies to reply to my hon. Friend Direct. Letter from Peter Stanley to Caroline Flint, dated 21 February 2000: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply, in respect of the Central Science Laboratory (CSL), to your question concerning maternity and paternity provisions and other family friendly policies. With the exception of the maternity leave provision, CSL presently follow the existing MAFF provisions for flexible working practices and patterns which are set out in the MAFF Staff Handbook. On 1 August 1999, paid maternity leave within CSL was increased to 16 weeks at full pay. Letter from T. W. A. Little to Caroline Flint, dated 21 February 2000: The Minister has asked me to responde to your questions on provisions available to employees of the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the proportion of women returning to work after maternity leave. In responding to these questions the Cabinet Office have indicated that the Civil Service as a whole is striving for an improved balance between work and family life. This is reflected in several aspects of the Report on Civil Service Reform by Sir Richard Wilson to the Prime Minister. The availability of the provisions you mention are set out in the MAFF Staff Handbook to which all employees in this Agency have access. They apply to both full-time and part-time staff. A VLA Staff Handbook is to be completed and issued to staff shortly. Maternity arrangements are provided in conjunction with the statutory entitlements available. Where provisions in this Agency differ from those in MAFF, information is readily available, for example, on the holiday playscheme. The proportion of women returning to work after childbirth over the last five years is given in the table below: Percentage _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1995 1996 1997 1998 {1}1999 Total returned to work 67 74 61 70 86 Returned to part-time work 42 49 22 40 72 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} The figures for 1999 do not represent a full response as not all women have returned from maternity leave A significant proportion of women elect to take a Career Break of up to five years rather than return to work directly after maternity leave. Further information requested could not be readily provided and would incur disproportionate costs to obtain. Letter from Johnston McNeill to Caroline Flint, dated 21 February 2000: As Chief Executive of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) your question to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food requesting information regarding the provision of various benefits to staff has been passed to me to reply as regards this Executive Agency. MHS provisions and eligibility criteria with regard to these benefits are outlined below: (i) Maternity Leave Main provisions--Paid time off for ante-natal care regardless of service. 18 weeks maternity leave if service less than 1 year and a further 29 weeks after confinement if service more than 1 year. Eligibility criteria--As indicated above. (ii) Maternity Pay Main provisions--As per statutory scheme i.e. Maternity Allowances (MA) or Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) applies. For employees who qualify for SMP the first 6 weeks of maternity leave is at 9/10ths of pay. Subsequent 12 weeks at 1/2 pay (subject to return to work for more than 3 months following maternity leave) plus SMP. Eligibility criteria--As per statutory scheme. (iii) Paternity Leave Main provisions--Paternity/Maternity Support Leave of 5 days with pay granted to father, partner or nominated carer. Eligibility criteria--Available to all employees. (iv) Parental Leave Main provisions--As per statutory provisions. MHS policy is this area currently under review. Requests of paid/unpaid leave currently considered under the MHS Special Leave policy provisions. Eligibility criteria--As per statutory provisions and individual needs. (v) Flexible Working Hours Main provisions--A formal flexitime scheme does not exist but some MHS Departments do operate flexitime and where not in place flexibility is exercised where operational service requirements allow. Eligibility criteria--Not appropriate as no formal scheme in place. (vi) Part-time Work Main provisions--All applications considered with regard to operational service requirements. Terms and conditions applied pro-rata to those of full-time employees. Eligibility criteria--Suitability of proposed part-time work pattern in relation to operational service requirements. (vii) Job Sharing Main provisions--All applications considered with regard to operational service requirements. Terms and conditions applied equally between job-sharers. Eligibility criteria--Suitability of proposed job share assessed with regard to whole job and operational service requirements. (viii) Leave to Care for Sick Children Main provisions--All applications considered with regard to individual needs and operational service requirements. Paid/unpaid time off work available under the MHS Special Leave policy provisions. Eligibility criteria--Each case carefully considered on merit, and with regard to statutory entitlements and individual needs. (ix) Home Working Main provisions--Applies to certain groups of management employees who have been authorised to work from home for operational reasons. Eligibility criteria--Employees only eligible to work from home when specifically authorised to do so by the MHS and only designated as home workers with the approval of the Inland Revenue. (x) Term Time Contracts Main provisions--Term time contracts not in operation within the MHS. Requests for paid/unpaid leave considered under the MHS Special Leave policy provisions. Eligibility criteria--Each case carefully considered on merit, and with regard to statutory entitlements and individual needs. (xi) Annual Hours Contracts Main Provisions--MHS Annualised Hours policy applies where the workload fluctuates and/or job requirements are seasonal. Eligibility criteria--Employees are contracted to work annualised hours only where significant variations in the work pattern are anticipated. (xii) Child Care Allowances Main Provisions--Some MHS employees utilise MAFF child-care facilities. No child-care allowances are paid. Eligibility criteria--Available to all MHS employees but child-care places very limited. (xiii) Careers' Leave Main provisions--The MHS does not have a formal policy in this area, although special extended leave has been granted in some cases to facilitate career development. Eligibility criteria--Each case carefully considered on merit, and with regard to operational service requirements and individual/organisational benefits arising. (xiv) Career Break Schemes Main provisions--The MHS does not have a formal policy in this area. Eligibility criteria--Not applicable. Letter from P. W. Greig-Smith to Caroline Flint, dated 21 February 2000: The Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has asked me to reply to your question regarding provision of various benefits to staff. I am replying on behalf of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). With regard to maternity leave and maternity pay, CEFAS provides 16 weeks leave with pay, one week more than core MAFF. Eligibility for these benefits is the same as core MAFF. For paternity leave, parental leave, flexible working hours, part-time work, job sharing, leave to care for sick children, home working, term-time contracts, annual hours contracts, child care allowances, careers' leave and career break schemes, CEFAS' allowances are exactly the same as those of core MAFF. Eligibility is the same as core MAFF.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

344 c748-51W;344 c747-51W; 108848

Session

1999-00

Subjects

Conditions of employment Government departments Parental leave Pay Paternity leave Maternity leave Working hours Flexitime Job sharing Career breaks Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

Contains statistics

Yes