Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the compliance of his Department’s rules on annual leave carry-over with the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020; and if he will make a statement.

The Ministry of Justice does not centrally record the carry-over of annual leave. This is managed by the local business area.

Whilst we do not hold central data the Department has worked closely with Civil Service Employee Policy to ensure clear guidance to staff on the extended carry-over of annual leave provided for under the Working Time (Coronavirus) (Amendment) Regulations 2020. Whilst employees have been encouraged to continue to take leave since the start of the pandemic where they are able to do so to maintain their wellbeing, the 2-year extension of carry-over limits is available to all staff impacted by Covid-19 who have been unable to use their annual leave by the normal deadline.

This guidance has been disseminated through Departmental communications channels, dedicated Covid-19 intranet pages, and cascaded to business areas through HR Business Partners. For any complex Covid-related queries or concerns, including those relating to carry- over of annual leave, a dedicated team is available to provide advice and support.