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Departmental Sick Leave

Volume 497: debated on Wednesday 14 October 2009

To ask the Secretary of State for Health 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 these absences was. (290440)

The following table presents the average working days lost per person in the Department for the years available and the associated cost estimates for sickness. The cost estimates for 2007-08 and 2008-09 are not available.

Average working days lost per person

Cost estimate (£ million)

2008-09

5.6

n/a

2007-08

5.3

n/a

2006-07

6.5

2.1

2005

7.0

2.2

2004

3.8

5.3

n/a = not available

Note:

Cost estimates given are based on information published in the annual civil service sickness absence reports, available on the Cabinet Office website.

The figure for 2004 includes both the core Department and its Agencies: the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency and the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.

Reporting periods changed from calendar years to financial years between 2005 and 2006.