§ Lord Dholakiaasked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they propose to take to reduce the high level of absenteeism in the Police Service; and what further measures are being taken to ensure that no police officer is allowed to take ill-health retirement when facing a disciplinary investigation. [HL2945]
§ Lord Williams of MostynThe Home Office has issued extensive guidance on the management framework and monitoring, and has provided an open learning package, to help police service managers to improve their management of sickness absence and to reduce the numbers of days lost as a result of sickness absence.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary also made a number of recommendations in their report: Lost Time. The Management of Sickness Absence and Medical Retirement in the Police Service, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. These recommendations are being taken forward by police forces, the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers, National Police Training and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary. The report also provides police forces with suggestions and checklist for good practice in managing sickness absence and medical retirement.
The Government have also made clear that, as part of meeting their efficiency targets over the next three years, police forces will be expected to reduce their levels of sickness absence further in order to benefit from increased funding.
The existing police pensions regulations provide for retirement to be held over until disciplinary proceedings have been concluded, but where there is no prospect of an officer recovering his health to face disciplinary proceedings, it is right that he should be allowed to go. It needs to be recognised that the physical and mental demands of police work will make ill-health retirement the only correct course in many cases. New discipline procedures which are being introduced on 1 April 1999 provide for disciplinary proceedings to be concluded in the absence of accused officers, with appropriate safeguards.