Written questions by Fox.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

The Northern Ireland Office employs a desk booking system for its offices in London and Belfast. This must be used to book desks in advance of intended attendance, or on the same day. Information on desk booking services for arm’s length bodies, which are not co-located in the department's two main offices, is not centrally held.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Cabinet Office staff are encouraged to book desks, but it is not mandatory. Similarly, of the Cabinet Office's arm's length bodies that directly employ their own staff, none mandate booking a desk in order to attend the office in person.

Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Staff within the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are not currently required to book or schedule attendance at the office, although individual teams may have their own arrangements to meet business needs.The FCDO does not book desks for arm's length bodies. Desk booking services for these bodies are not centrally held and would come at a disproportionate cost to the department in producing this information.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

No.

Media and Sport, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

DCMS staff are encouraged to book a desk to guarantee a work setting whilst working at our London HQ. Other non bookable work settings are also available for staff to use. Desk booking is not currently implemented at any other DCMS office location.Desk booking services for arm’s length bodies within DCMS are not centrally held and would come at disproportionate cost to the department in producing this information.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Advance desk reservations are encouraged to secure appropriate workspace within Ministry of Defence (MOD) Main Building. Desk booking services for the wider MOD including arm’s length bodies are not centrally held and would come at disproportionate cost to the Department in producing this information.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

There is no requirement for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend a Department for Transport workplace, including the executive agencies (Active Travel England, Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Vehicle Certification Agency). A desk booking application is available for staff attending the DfT offices in Birmingham, Hastings, Leeds, London and Swansea, as well as some of the workplaces operated by agencies and Arms Length Bodies, but employees are not required to use them. Touch-down desks and other working spaces are available for staff who attend these locations without booking a desk.The Arms Length Bodies sponsored by DfT do not employ civil servants and DfT places no requirement on their staff to book desks to attend workplaces.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Ministry of Justice staff are able to attend an office location without needing to book a desk. This includes our Department’s Arm’s Length Bodies. This approach does not apply to non-operational staff based in the operational estate, which has separate access conditions and processes, due to the security requirements of these sites.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

There is an online booking tool for Core Defra and arm’s length bodies’ staff to use to book workspaces in advance at some office locations (including desks, meeting rooms, and collaboration spaces). It is not a requirement to have the online booking tool in place at all office locations.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Civil servants who work in the Department’s office locations are asked to book a space to work from the office. In 12 buildings this is a booking for a specific desk, and in 3 buildings it is for an unspecified working space on a particular floor within the building. Desk booking services for arm’s-length bodies within the Department are not centrally held, and would come at disproportionate cost to the Department in producing this information.

Innovation and Technology, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Civil servants who work in the Department’s office locations are asked to book a space to work from the office. In 16 buildings this is a booking for a specific desk, and in 3 buildings it is for an unspecified working space on a particular floor within the building.Desk booking services for arm’s-length bodies within the Department are not centrally held, and would come at disproportionate cost to the Department in producing this information.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Desk booking is used at the Department’s offices but is not required for office attendance. There are workspaces which do not require booking.Desk booking is required at certain Arm’s Length Bodies’ workplaces. Employees are asked to book desks prior to attending the office at the UK Health Security Agency, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Human Tissue Authority, the Care Quality Commission, the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, and the Health Research Authority.Desk booking is not required at the offices of NHS England, NHS Resolution, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, and NHS Blood and Transplant. Desk booking at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the NHS Business Services Authority is required at some of their offices.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

Desk booking systems are in use at several DBT’s offices, including its London headquarters. Except for offices at Caxton House, London, it is not compulsory for people to book a desk for them to attend the office in person. Arms length bodies have their own individual policies and procedures relating to desk booking.

Whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

The department, via the Government Property Agency as its asset manager, leases a total of thirteen sites, in multi-tenanted buildings, for use by its staff. There is no requirement for staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person. All the department’s arm length bodies, bar those classed as Executive Agencies, manage their own respective estates. They have advised that they do not require staff to book a desk in advance in order to attend any of their offices.

Communities and Local Government, whether there are any requirements for civil servants to book a desk in advance in order to attend the office in person in each of (a) their Department's office workplaces and (b) the arm’s length bodies of their Department.

For all of offices except Darlington, we have a desk booking system which enables staff to reserve a desk prior to attending the office. However, it is a recommendation rather than a requirement for staff to reserve a space in advance. In the Darlington Economic Campus, staff book a space rather than a desk to attend the office and this is done in collaboration with the other Departments we share with.ALBs operate at arm's length from the department and have the flexibility to determine their own workplace policies, including desk booking arrangements. The department does not collect this information centrally.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 15 November 2024 to Question 13354 on Dangerous Dogs, if he will take steps to set out a more detailed timeline on when he plans to publish guidance on withdrawing a Certificate of Exemption for XL Bully dogs.

Defra is currently working to develop a withdrawal scheme and will provide more information about this process soon.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of neonicotinoids in spot pet treatments on natural habitats.

Parasiticides play an important role in the protecting of animal health from fleas, ticks, and vector-borne diseases, and in protecting human health from zoonotic transfer of disease. Therefore, their regulation requires a careful balance between effective parasite control for animal health and welfare and human health whilst minimising potential risks to the environment. To address environmental safety, every veterinary pharmaceutical undergoes an environmental exposure assessment, with products for companion animals usually ending in a phase 1 assessment. If exposure is deemed high, a more detailed Phase II risk assessment is conducted, evaluating potential environmental impact based on expected exposure and toxicity. The findings from these assessments are considered as part of the final benefit/risk assessment during the approval process. There are also warnings that accompany products advising on use and to mitigate against dogs entering water courses directly after treatment. Environmental assessments are conducted in accordance with international guidelines and data standards. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is conducting a number of research activities to provide further evidence on environmental impacts and causes. Furthermore, the VMD supports a review of the international environmental risk assessment guidelines for companion animal parasiticides, which has been proposed and is currently under consideration by the body for International Cooperation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH).

Whether her Department plans to update the Cautioning and Relationship Abuse training for domestic abuse offenders with diagnosed mental health conditions.

The Home Office published standards for domestic abuse perpetrator interventions in 2023 to provide evidence-based standards for interventions aimed at perpetrators of domestic abuse. The standards outline that interventions should be appropriate and adapt where necessary, such as where perpetrators have mental health support needs. Where interventions need to be adapted, the standards recommend that co-facilitation with a relevant skilled practitioner should be considered.We recommend that all perpetrator intervention programmes, such as the Cautioning and Relationship Abuse programme, should consider these standards as part of their approach to working with domestic abuse perpetrators.We are determined to safeguard victims by disrupting the behaviour of perpetrators . In order to achieve our mission to halve violence against women and girls in a decade, it is essential that we prevent reoffending and ensure there is comprehensive approach to perpetrators, from early intervention to targeting the most prolific and repeat offenders.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of neonicotinoids in spot pet treatments on the environment.

Parasiticides play an important role in the protecting of animal health from fleas, ticks, and vector-borne diseases, and in protecting human health from zoonotic transfer of disease. Therefore, their regulation requires a careful balance between effective parasite control for animal health and welfare and human health whilst minimising potential risks to the environment. To address environmental safety, every veterinary pharmaceutical undergoes an environmental exposure assessment, with products for companion animals usually ending in a phase 1 assessment. If exposure is deemed high, a more detailed Phase II risk assessment is conducted, evaluating potential environmental impact based on expected exposure and toxicity. The findings from these assessments are considered as part of the final benefit/risk assessment during the approval process. There are also warnings that accompany products advising on use and to mitigate against dogs entering water courses directly after treatment. Environmental assessments are conducted in accordance with international guidelines and data standards. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is conducting a number of research activities to provide further evidence on environmental impacts and causes. Furthermore, the VMD supports a review of the international environmental risk assessment guidelines for companion animal parasiticides, which has been proposed and is currently under consideration by the body for International Cooperation of Technical Requirements for Registration of Veterinary Medicinal Products (VICH).

What the average length of wait has been to receive the result of an application for a Standard Individual Export Licence using the new LITE system since it was launched.

LITE is being introduced gradually as we design, build and iteratively improve the system. It was initially introduced in 2021 for a small number of exporters and this gradual increase in cases continued through 2022. The then Government concluded a total of 384 cases in LITE over 2021 and 2022 and the median processing time was 38 days. In 2023, the then Government paused the reporting of LITE processing times whilst new functionality was developed. The Government is planning to return to publishing LITE data during 2025 once this functionality is implemented.