Departmental Sick Leave

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the average duration of single periods of sick leave taken by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility was in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. (216102)

Data for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 for the Treasury and its agencies can be found on the civil service website:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp

Information relating to the Treasury, the Office of Government Commerce (OGC), OGC Buying Solutions and Debt Management Office for 2007-08 is not yet available but will be published later in the year. For years prior to 2004 data are not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the average duration of single periods of sick leave taken by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility who gave (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders as the reason for their absence was in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement; (216103)

(2) how many staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility have taken sick days due to (i) stress and (ii) mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of staff of each body this represented in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Information for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 for the Treasury and its agencies and can be found on the civil service website:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp

All three illnesses are grouped together as 'Mental and Behavioural Disorders'

Data for 2007-08 are not yet available but will be published later in the year. For years prior to 2004 data are not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many days of sick leave were taken by his Department's employees in each year since 1997. (216700)

7,765 days sick leave were taken in 2002 and 7,073 days in 2003. Data for 2004, 2005, 2006-07 and can be found on the civil service website:

http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/statistics/sickness.asp.

Information for 2007-08 is not yet available but will be published later in the year. For years prior to 2002 data are not held electronically and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Volume 478: debated on Tuesday 8 July 2008