Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of sick leave taken by staff in his Department was stress-related in each of the last three years.

Paul Goggins
The percentage of working days lost within the Northern Ireland Office due to stress related illness in the last three years is as follows:

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|       |Percentage|
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|2003-04|21.0      |
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|2004-05|13.5      |
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|2005-06|25.5      |
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These figures have been taken from information supplied by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency.

The Department takes all absences, in particular stress related illness, very seriously and is currently examining any underlying reasons.