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Department for Business and Trade: Ministers' Private Offices

Asked by Gareth BaconConservativeDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 24 July 2024UIN 700

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether civil servants in his private office will have the right to switch off on (a) weekends and (b) evenings.

Answered by Justin Madders

All DBT employees have an existing set of Terms and Conditions which confirm their expected hours of work. Given the nature of private office roles, employees may need to work additional or irregular hours, which is taken into account when determining their remuneration. The private offices operate as a team which ensures responsibility for being available to support Ministers outside of regular working hours is shared, work/life balance is monitored, and all employees can switch off regularly.

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