Absenteeism (Hansard, 13 March 1995)

§ Mr. Nelson

[holding answer 9 March 1995]: All four Departments are alert to the need to keep sickness absence to a minimum, and have introduced a range of initiatives to help improve the health of their staff and reduce sickness absence. They each have a separate dedicated welfare officer and a health and safety officer. All adopt widespread no-smoking policies, provide health screening, eye and eyesight tests for those who use display screen equipment and special leave for domestic emergencies.

In addition (a) the Office of the Paymaster has introduced a "look after your heart scheme", cancer screening for women, a workplace nursery and holiday play scheme arrangements; (b) the Central Statistical Office held health screening programmes in both 1992 and 1993, makes health promotional videos available in its Library, has organised presentations from the national physiotherapy service and provides holiday play scheme arrangements; (c) the Royal Mint has an on-site occupational health service, a health screening programme and access to a fitness centre; (d) the Treasury also has a fitness centre, provides holiday play scheme arrangements, provides awareness seminars for new VDU users and carries out workstation risk assessments for all DSU users and regular risk assessment of the workplace. In addition, contractors are asked to provide a copy of their health and safety policy statement and are briefed on best safety practice in the workplace.

All four departments have systems in place to record and monitor sickness absence; to manage staff with unacceptable levels of sickness absence; and to take appropriate action if it proves impossible to bring attendance back to acceptable levels. These systems are kept under review.