Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to Part One of the National Disability Strategy, published July 2021, what recent steps her Department has taken to (a) encourage and support workplace disability networks, (b) achieve and maintain the highest level of Disability Confident accreditation, (c) ensure responsive and timely support to meet workplace adjustment needs and (d) develop and embed flexible working.

The Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has a number of enthusiastic workplace disability networks. They are the Disability Inclusion and Awareness Network; Parents for Children with Disabilities; Cancer Support Network; Mental Health Wellbeing and Listening Network and FCDO Carers. The value of the networks is recognised in the FCDO. We encourage those who play key roles to include this as part of their performance objectives. The FCDO Board consults with staff networks to understand and address issues faced by different groups of employees.

Building on the accreditations of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development, the FCDO secured accreditation as a Disability Confident Leader in July 2021. We do not take this accreditation for granted and sense checked our application with our networks to ensure it reflected the lived experience of our employees.

The support offer for our employees on workplace adjustments is set out in the Diversity and Inclusion section of the FCDO Annual Report and Accounts 2020-2021, found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1019938/FCDO_annual_report_and_accounts_2020_to_2021_accessible.pdf.

Flexible working is encouraged for all employees, including those with disabilities and long term conditions, and we offer flexible working as a default in job adverts. Hiring managers are required to justify any opt out from offering flexible working.