Staff absenteeism recorded as sickness absence, in each year since 1997 is given in the table as the average annual number of days absent per employee. The departments/agencies cannot disaggregate other elements of absenteeism.
Figures regarding sickness absence are contained in the annual report, “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service”, published by the Cabinet Office. Reports for each year since 1999 are available in the Library and on the civil service website at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/occupational_health/publications/index.asp.
Information on the cost of sickness absence could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Department/Agency 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Inland Revenue 11.9 11.0 11.5 10.9 9.5 10.5 10.8 12.2 HM Customs and Excise 8.9 9.4 9.6 9.0 8.7 9 9.2 7.4 Office of Government Commerce (OGC) — — — 10.0 8.4 6.3 3.3 3.2 OGC Buying Solutions — — — — 7.7 5.9 6.4 6.4 National Savings and Investment — — 4.7 8.8 2.2 2.2 2.3 2.5 Valuation Office Agency — — 10.1 9.2 7.0 8.1 7.9 8.6 Royal Mint 5.8 6.2 6.5 5.3 5.8 8.0 6.0 5.4 Government Actuary’s Department — 9.3 6.7 6.6 6.9 3.1 5.3 4.5 Debt Management Office — — — — — 3.0 3.7 3.2 Office for National Statistics 9.1 9.6 8.8 8.0 7.9 6.6 6.7 6.8 HM Treasury 4.9 3.9 5.5 3.9 4.7 4.4 5.2 4.1 Notes: 1. OGC was created in 2000 and OGC Buying Solutions, an Executive Agency of OGC, was created in 2001. 2. Royal Mint figures refer to non-industrials only. 3. HM Treasury included the DMO in its sickness absence reporting before 2002.
The information on average working days sickness absence is derived from the annual report “Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service” published on behalf of the Cabinet Office.