(2) how many days sick leave (a) in total and (b) on average employees of (i) his Department and its predecessor and (ii) its agencies took in each year since 1997.
The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) was created on 9 May 2007. The MOJ—and its predecessors, the Lord Chancellor’s Department and the Department for Constitutional Affairs—does centrally monitor long term sickness absence but does so by the number of days’ absence taken, not by the number of individual staff on long-term sick leave. To obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Information relating to the total and average sick leave for the MOJ and its predecessors, the Department for Constitutional Affairs and Her Majesty’s Prison Service, is shown in the tables. Approximately 1,530 staff transferred from the Home Office to the MOJ on 1 November 2008. However, it would be possible to obtain sick absence figures from the Home Office for these staff only at disproportionate cost. Absence figures for the 51,239 Prison Service staff migrated into MOJ are shown as follows.
Figures for the Lord Chancellor’s Department (prior to 2003-04) and Her Majesty’s Prison Service (prior to 1999-2000) are not readily available and to obtain this information would incur disproportionate cost.
Working days lost Average staff in post Working days lost per person 2003-04 128,170 12,154 10.5 2004-05 124,390 12,643 9.8 2005-06 174,096 16,702 10.4 2006-07 276,166 25,395 10.9
Working days lost Average staff in post Working days lost per person 1999-2000 542,922 43,111 12.6 2000-01 592,173 43,878 13.5 2001-02 614,150 44,155 13.9 2002-03 668,337 45,419 14.7 2003-04 328,623 47,224 13.3 2004-05 616,367 48,607 12.7 2005-06 578,211 48,419 12.2 2006-07 573,071 49,216 11.6
Ministry of Justice sick absence rates
The figure includes MOJ Headquarters, Her Majesty’s Court Service, the Office of the Public Guardian, the Tribunals Service and Scotland and Wales Offices.
Working days lost Average staff in post Working days lost per person 2007-081 211,807 25,722 8.2 2008-092 184,027 24,099 7.6 1 Includes all MOJ employees on Home Office systems (MOJ and NOMS HQ) 2 Statistics still to be validated and includes staff that migrated across from HO systems Source: MOJ Cabinet Office return minus Land Registry and NOMS Agency
Working days lost Average staff in post Working days lost per person 2007-081 68,590 58,540 11.6 2008-092 542,821 50,135 10.8 1 Excludes staff on Home Office systems 2 Statistic still to be validated and includes staff that migrated across from HO systems Source: NOMS Agency Cabinet Office return