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20 Jan 2003 : Column 201W—continued
Departmental Staff
Mr. Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many full-time equivalent staff are employed in (a) the Department and (b) each of the agencies it sponsors; and what the figures were for 1997. [90670]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Minister of State, Cabinet Office, on 16 January 2003, Official Report, column 697W.
Divorced Parents
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what procedures are in place to give effect to court orders permitting divorced parents access to their children. [90995]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In 2001 there were 55,030 contact orders granted in England and Wales. Deliberate refusal to obey a contact order is a contempt of court and may be punishable by a fine or imprisonment. In cases that involve the care of children those remedies might not be in the interests of the children at the centre of the parents' dispute. In recognition of this my Department asked the Children Act Sub-Committee on Family Law (CASC) to consult on the issue. Their report, "Making Contact Work", was published on 8 February 2002 to which the Government responded on 6 August 2002. As part of that response, a stakeholder group has been established to look at the facilitation and enforcement of contact. The group comprises members from the judiciary, legal professionals, CAFCASS, other Government Departments and the voluntary sector. As well as considering how parents may be assisted to reach workable solutions, the group will be looking at alternative enforcement mechanisms. It is due to report in the summer.
Job Sharing
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make a statement on the extent of job sharing in the Department. [90869]
20 Jan 2003 : Column 202W
Ms Rosie Winterton: 2,407 staff currently work reduced hours in my Department, a large proportion of whom are engaged on a job-share or job-split arrangement (which are available to all grades, including the Senior Civil Service).
A number of other flexible working patterns are available under my Department's successful work-life balance package, launched in 2001, including flexi-time, homeworking and compressed and reduced hours options. The flexibility of the pattern is decided in conjunction with local management to suit an individual's need and the needs of their work.
When advertising vacancies, business areas are encouraged to welcome applications from people working different patterns. However, there are some instances where this is not possible due to the nature of the work.
Public Service Agreements
Mr. Flight: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, when he expects to publish his autumn departmental reports on public service agreement targets; and if he will make a statement. [91004]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I expect the autumn performance report for my Department to be published by the end of January or shortly thereafter.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in 2002. [90529]
Mr. Evans: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many working days have been lost due to illness in the Department in (a) 2002 and (b) each of the preceding five years. [90971]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of days lost to sickness absence is published annually in the "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service" report published by the Cabinet Office, the most recent of which (for calendar year 2001) was announced by Ministerial Statement on 19 December 2002, and copies placed in the Libraries of the House. The 1999, 2000 and 2001 reports are available on the Cabinet Office website at: www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/civilservice/publications/sickness/index.htm.
The figures for 2002 will be announced in due course.
The Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to meet the 2003 target for reducing sickness absence in our Service Delivery Agreement.