Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in his Department have formal arrangements to work from home during the covid-19 outbreak.

As both my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the Government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID 19.

Following the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday 16 March 2020 that where possible, people should work from home, all employees of the Department for Education were asked to work from home from Tuesday 17 March. All DfE staff now have arrangements to work from home. All our buildings are closed, but remain accessible for a very small number of staff when required.

These are rapidly developing circumstances; we continue to keep the situation under review.