To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many sick days were taken by staff of his Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost to the public purse of such absences was in each such year. (290533)

The Department was set up as part of the Machinery of Government (MOG) changes on 28 June 2007, so the figures apply from 1 July 2007. Sickness absence data for the Department since its inception, including the average number of working days lost, are published on the Department's website:

http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sicknessabsence/

Due to the wide range of posts and salary points in the Department, the actual cost of those absences could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.