Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) physical and (b) mental wellbeing of staff employed in his Department.

The wellbeing of all MoJ staff is a priority and is reflected in our values. The staff wellbeing strategy that MoJ launched in 2015 focuses on primary causes of sickness absence, physical and mental. A separate staff mental health strategy and action plan was published this year, which aims to support staff and tackle the stigma surrounding mental health. This is supported by our Senior Health and Wellbeing and Disability Champions and a network of voluntary wellbeing champions across MoJ.

MoJ has a comprehensive employee wellbeing offer which is supported by our Occupational Health provider and our Employee Assistance Programme including an advisory and counselling telephony service which is available 24/7, 365 days a year. All wellbeing information is accessible to MoJ staff via our designated wellbeing intranet pages. MoJ also participates in local, national and international wellbeing campaigns to raise awareness of good physical and mental health. MoJ regularly reviews its wellbeing offering to ensure that it continues to offer the best support to employees.