Sickness Absence

Mr. Bercow
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many staff in his Department were on long term sick leave in each of the last five years. [109259]

Mr. Stephen Twigg
My Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to maintain its efforts to try and meet the 2003 target for reduced sickness absence as set out in its Service Delivery Agreement.My Department does not hold this information centrally and could provide it only at disproportionate cost.