Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2023 to Question 122497 on Ministry of Defence: Holiday Leave, whether the Annual Leave Payment scheme policy has different provisions for different (a) parts of the United Kingdom and (b) civil service grades.

In December 2022, the Ministry of Defence (MOD) announced a new Annual Leave Payment Scheme. Under the terms of the Scheme, it has been exceptionally agreed that MOD civil servants with unused annual leave balances, after taking adequate rest and recuperation (statutory annual leave; 20 days annual leave plus Public Holidays (pro-rata for non-standard workers)), can submit a single request for the MOD to buy back up to a maximum of five contractual days annual leave (pro-rata for non-standard workers). This buy back facility is a one-off scheme which is available from 14 December 2022 until 28 February 2023. Other Government Departments already offer the ability to buy and sell leave.

Precise data was obtained regarding annual leave remaining and projected carry-over. Prior to the commencement of the scheme, data analysis in mid-November 2022 indicated that 57 per cent of the MOD civilian workforce had half or more of their leave entitlement remaining, which indicated a potential high demand. As of 24 January 2023, approximately 2,620 applications had been approved for payment since the start of scheme and will be paid at the end of January.

The Annual Leave Payment Scheme for MOD civilians was put in place as a one-off measure for the current financial year as a cost of living and leave reduction initiative. Many staff members carried over additional leave during the COVID pandemic. The scheme was a way to lower these numbers whilst offering remuneration for those interested in selling. When the scheme was agreed 23,591 staff-members had carried-over more than ten days annual leave into the current leave year.

The Annual Leave Payment Scheme does not have different provisions for different parts of the United Kingdom. Applications from lower grades are prioritised.