To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff in his Department have taken (a) five or more, (b) four, (c) three and (d) two periods of sick leave of less than five days in the last 12 months. (147043)

The latest sickness absence information available is for the 12 months ending on 31 March 2007. During this period, the number of staff in DEFRA who took sick absences of fewer than 5 days was as follows:

These figures include staff who left the Department during or after this 12-month period and Rural Development Service staff before they transferred to Natural England on 1 October 2006.