Home Office splashes £53m on remote working for ‘sleepy civil servants’
Civil servants have resisted calls to return to the office
The Home Office has spent more than £53m on remote working devices for its civil servants, City A.M. can reveal.
Data obtained under Freedom of Information (FOI) has shown the Home Office has spent more than £52,811,241 buying up tens of thousands of laptops, tablet computers and mobile phones for staff over the last three years.
Of this total, £40,491,140 was spent on 38,606 laptops for staff, and a further £18,334 was spent on 89 tablet computers.
The Home Office isn’t the only government department to have invested in equipment to help civil servants work at home.
Earlier this year City A.M. reported that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) had spent more than £82m on remote working devices for its workers.
The taxman purchased over 175,000 laptops, tablet computers, phones, and desktops at a total cost of £82,609,759 over the last three years, according to data obtained in a Freedom of Information Request (FOI).
Civil servants have fiercely resisted attempts by the government to return to the office after the pandemic.
At the beginning of April, staff at the Office for National Statistics (ONS) voted to strike in protest at plans requiring them to be in the office for at least 40% of the working week.
Current civil service guidance says most civil servants should spend at least 60% of their time in the office.
The battle between civil servants and the government comes as data from the ONS has shown that productivity in the public sector, dominated by education and healthcare, was 6.8 per cent below pre-pandemic levels at the end of 2023.
Patrick Sullivan, Chief Executive of the Parliament Street think tank said: “It’s beggars belief that the Home Office is indulging in such wild spending sprees amid the cost-of-living crisis. It’s high time sleepy civil servants got back into the office like the rest of the country.”
But technology leaders defended the investment. Dr Adeshola Cole, CEO of Tritek Consulting, claimed that tech investment will help government departments operate more efficiently.
She said: “Investing in remote working technology aligns with broader trends in the modern workplace, where flexibility and agility are key drivers of success. Organisations like the Home Office can attract top talent, improve their work-life balance, and respond more effectively to changing circumstances by empowering employees with the tools they need to work remotely.”
However, security expert Suid Adeyanju, CEO, RiverSafe said: “While remote work offers significant flexibility, it substantially increases the risk of cyber threats with unsecure home networks. A single data breach could result in the exposure of personal details, including passport information and visa applications that can put people’s livelihoods at risk.”
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