AQW 18608/11-15

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 17/01/2013
Answered On Date: 28/01/2013
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of the Environment to detail (i) the number of Civil Servants from his Department who have left work early since 3 December 2012 due to the civil unrest associated with the flag protests; and (ii) the associated financial cost to his departmental budget.

Answer:

Similar to other NICS Departments the Department of Environment has a Flexible Working Time facility which allows staff flexibility in the way they arrange their working hours. With the approval of their line manager, staff can leave work in the afternoon within the agreed flexible working hours band (3.30pm to 6pm). There is no cost to the Departmental budget when using Flexible Working Time arrangements.

The Department therefore has no record of staff leaving the office early during the civil unrest associated with the flag protests.