To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last three years. (316462)

15 employees within the Home Department (excluding its agencies) had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more years between June 2007 and September 2009. At September 2009 3,033 staff were employed by the Home Department (excluding its agencies).

The Department has not been able to analyse three full years' data as data are available only from 1 July 2007 to 30 September 2009 (2.25 years).