Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff in her Department reported experiencing bullying or harassment at work in the most recent Civil Service People Survey.

The overall response rate for the Home Office 2014 People Survey was 51% (15,431 staff). Of those who responded, 2,090 staff (14%) declared a long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability.

63% of respondents declaring a long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability responded that they were treated fairly at work. 76% of respondents declaring that they did not have a long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability responded that they were treated fairly at work.

23% of respondents declaring a long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability reported that they had personally experienced bullying or harassment at work in the past 12 months. 11% of respondents declaring that they did not have a long-standing physical or mental health condition, illness, impairment or disability reported that they had personally experienced bullying or harassment at work in the past 12 months.

We are concerned by these results and are taking action. In particular, we are building on our existing programme of work with disabled staff and their managers to ensure the issues are understood so that staff are treated fairly. The Home Office signed the Time to Change pledge and we are committed to raising awareness of mental health issues. We are reviewing our guidance on
reasonable adjustments for disabled staff, including guidance on setting work objectives and managing performance.