Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much time off in lieu has been taken by staff in his Department in each of the last five years.

The information requested is not centrally available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. It is the responsibility of line managers to ensure employees are not working excessive hours.

HM Treasury operates a flexible working hours scheme which allows staff to take time off in lieu at a later date if they work over agreed working hours, within agreed limits, and ensuring compliance with the Working Time Regulations 1998. Where it is not appropriate or possible to take time off in lieu of hours worked, staff may be paid for these additional hours at plain time rate, in line with our overtime policy.

It is in the interests of the health, safety and wellbeing of our staff that work in excess of the normal hours of duty in a week should not be consistently required. We are keen to ensure that all staff enjoy a good work life balance and are currently upskilling our Senior Civil Service in managing staff wellbeing – as of December 2018 we had already achieved 78% attendance. It is with this in mind that we strongly recommend that time off in lieu be taken in the event of working excess hours. However, it is recognised that from time to time, this may be unavoidable.