Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the total combined cost of flexitime, compressed hours, overtime, Time Off in Lieu and paid volunteering leave across the civil service; and whether they have compared the prevalence of these schemes with equivalent arrangements in the private sector.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Decisions on pay and terms and conditions of employment are made by individual departments, depending on their specific business requirements. As such, the Cabinet Office does not collect this information centrally.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many days of paid volunteering leave were taken by civil servants in each of the last three years, broken down by department; and what the total cost of this type of leave has been in each of those years.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not collect or hold information across departments centrally.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the average number of Time Off in Lieu (TOIL) days accrued and taken per civil servant in each of the last three years; and whether they monitor the operational cost of unworked TOIL hours across departments.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
The Cabinet Office does not collect or hold information across departments centrally.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants, broken down by department, are currently working under (1) flexitime, and (2) compressed hours arrangements; and what estimate they have made of the cost of administering these schemes.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
This information is not held centrally.
Decisions on terms and conditions of employment, including flexible working, are made by the employing department, depending on their specific business requirements and the nature of the role.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs office in 2 Marsham Street.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As of June 2026, Defra’s office at 2 Marsham Street provided 1,145 workstations and was the base location for 2,447 civil servants.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology office at 22–26 Whitehall.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport)
22-26 Whitehall has 825 desk work settings. The site is used by multiple Government departments, and official figures have not yet been updated following the creation of the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade.
On 30 June 2026, 22-26 Whitehall had 998 active DSIT civil servants as their contracted office location.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the offices of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office at King Charles Street.
Answered by Lord Wood of Anfield - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I am advised by the Department that, based on the most recent occupancy and space-planning data available, there are 3,206 desks within the King Charles Street building.
Desk numbers are kept under regular review and may increase or decrease over time to reflect operational requirements, estate reconfiguration, and changing business needs. As such, the figure provided represents the most accurate position at the time of the latest assessment rather than a permanent fixed total.
In terms of headcount, the number of civil servants assigned to the offices of the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office at King Charles Street is 4,129.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government to ask His Majesty’s Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the HM Revenue and Customs office at 1 Horse Guards Road.
Answered by Lord Pitt-Watson - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
HMRC does not have any desks or civil servants assigned to 1 Horse Guards Road.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Work and Pensions office at Caxton House.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Below is the Department’s headcount and desks figure for DWP Caxton House London as of 30th June 2026
Site Location | Employees | Total Desks |
LONDON DWP CAXTON HOUSE | 2,245 | 1,395 |
Caxton House currently has 2,245 DWP colleagues and 1,395 desks.
This number of desks does not include alternative space where colleagues may work from through the day, including meeting rooms, collaboration areas, or privacy booths.
Asked by: Lord Houchen of High Leven (Conservative - Life peer)
Question
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) desks, and (2) civil servants, are assigned to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport office in 100 Parliament Street.
Answered by Baroness Twycross - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
As at 1 July 2026, DCMS has 380 desks with 752 staff members based in London. A 5:10 desk ratio is in line with government standards.