Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what proportion of staff in his Department did not meet the minimum office attendance target in the latest period for which data is available; and what sanctions his Department issues to staff who do not meet this target.

On 24 October 2024 the Cabinet Office announced that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service. Senior managers will continue to be expected to be in the office more than 60% of the time. Due to space constraints the department has set the requirement of 40% for delegated grades.

The department does not hold information on the number of staff who have met the minimum office attendance target. See Civil Service Headquarters occupancy data for published information covering departmental headquarters building occupancy. The department introduced a process to record office attendance information from 4 August 2025. This data is not yet available.

Staff who operate under the department’s hybrid working policy are expected to meet the minimum office attendance requirements. If people do not meet that reasonable expectation, as with any management instruction it will be dealt with via existing performance management processes and ultimately with disciplinary action should there be sustained failure to comply.