Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what childcare facilities his Department makes available for its staff; how much his Department spent (a) overall and (b) per child on those facilities in the last 12 months; and how many of his Department's staff use those facilities.

The Wales Office does not provide on-site childcare facilities on its estate. However, the Department recognises that staff need flexible pre-school and out-of-school childcare of a type and in a location most convenient to them.

The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right, and staff are employed by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). The MoJ offers a salary sacrifice scheme for childcare vouchers which enables staff to choose their own childcare provider (subject to meeting eligibility requirements) and have their childcare costs reduced by taking part of their salary in the form of childcare vouchers, which are exempt from tax and National Insurance contributions.

We also follow MoJ polices by offering a range of flexible working options to staff, including term-time working, job shares and compressed hours, to allow staff with caring responsibilities to work in the way that best suits them.