Half of civil servants in the Department for Education (DfE) were working in the office when the crumbling concrete crisis hitting schools unfolded, Government data suggests.
The latest Civil Service data suggests 51% of desks were occupied in the week that the Education Secretary ordered 104 schools and colleges in England to make closures because their buildings contained collapse-prone reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac).
Gillian Keegan made the announcement on August 31, just days before the start of term.
Downing Street acknowledged “there is more to do to encourage people back into the office” but insisted DfE mandarins were “working around the clock” on the concrete issue.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman also noted that the figures were a snapshot of a month when many people were on holiday.
An average of 53% of DfE staff worked from the office in the weeks of August, the data shows.
The Prime Minister's view is that in-office working is vital, that unless there are proper exceptions, people should be in the office and working to help the British public
Prime Minister's official spokesman
Ms Keegan has admitted to being on holiday in Spain in the run-up to ordering the school closures, defending the move by saying she has “always worked remotely” throughout her career in business before becoming an MP.
Asked about the DfE data, Rishi Sunak’s spokesman told reporters: “Obviously, that’s a snapshot of one month when many people may choose to be on holiday …
“Permanent secretaries are responsible for their own departments.
“The Prime Minister’s view is that in-office working is vital, that unless there are proper exceptions, people should be in the office and working to help the British public.”
There are teams in DfE working around the clock on this to provide reassurance to parents, to get the data out and to contact schools that have not yet responded to their surveys. And they are working very hard on that
Prime Minister's official spokesman
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Challenged over how parents might view the high number of Whitehall staff working from home when their children’s schools were shuttered, the official said: “It’s important not to conflate two issues here.
“There are teams in DfE working around the clock on this to provide reassurance to parents, to get the data out and to contact schools that have not yet responded to their surveys. And they are working very hard on that.
“But obviously we know that there is more to do to encourage people back into the office.”
The DfE has been approached for comment.
