To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in the Department have been on long-term sick leave in each of the last two years. [115852]

My Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and is maintaining its efforts to meet the 2003 target for reduced sickness absence as set out in its Service Delivery Agreement.The number of staff who took periods of sick leave in excess of 21 days in each of the last two calendar years was:2002: 3582001: 341