Sick Leave (Hansard, 13 February 1995)

§ 27. Mr. Shersby
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what procedures are in place for monitoring the extent of sick leave taken by members of the civil service; to what extent the health of those on extended sick leave is monitored by his Department's own medical officers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Robert G. Hughes
General guidance to Departments and agencies on the control of sickness absence is contained in the management code.

§ Mr. Shersby
What financial arrangements apply to members of the home civil service who are compulsorily retired on medical grounds? Is my hon. Friend satisfied that at the present time such arrangements are not subject to any financial constraints?

Mr. Hughes
To be entirely honest, I do not have the faintest idea, but I shall write to my hon. Friend.

§ Mr. Flynn
Does the Minister think that the motive for that question, which he has so abysmally failed to answer, might be to denigrate the work of civil servants? Would it not be far better to improve the morale of civil servants by allowing those who work in the agencies, which will not be privatised but which might be contractorised, to compete on equal terms with private firms which might bid for their jobs?

Mr. Hughes
This is a hoary old chestnut which has been gone over many times in the House. As the Select 660 Committee on the Treasury and Civil Service stated, this is the sensible way to run Government, and will continue to be.

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
Does my hon. Friend agree that, if the average number of sick days taken by Companies House staff is eight times the number taken by staff in the legal secretariat, there is some reason to investigate whether that is due to management, morale or an occupational hazard?

Mr. Hughes
Yes, I share my hon. Friend's concern. I have asked for some reports from officials. The permanent secretary in my Department has written to heads of Departments and agencies, and he will write again to ensure that they look carefully at the guidelines to see whether they can be tightened. In my judgment there is no excuse for the high rate of absenteeism in a few agencies and Departments.