§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the amount of statutory sick pay which his Department would have been able to claim from the Department of Social Security in each of the last three years if service personnel were eligible for statutory sick pay. [80697]
372W
§ Mr. Doug HendersonMy Department does not maintain records of the numbers of Service personnel deemed to be on sick leave at any one time and could only provide that information at disproportionate cost. However, under the Statutory Sick Pay Act 1994, payment of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) became the responsibility of employers and the ability for them to reclaim up to 80 per cent. of costs from the Department of Social Security ceased. Employers were compensated for the extra SSP costs by a reduction in employers' National Insurance Contributions. No estimate has therefore been made of any amount which would notionally have been recoverable.
§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Department of Social Security concerning the eligibility of service personnel for statutory sick pay. [80699]
§ Mr. Doug HendersonNone. Service personnel are not covered by Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) regulations on the basis that they remain on full pay during periods of sickness, which would exceed any amount payable under the SSP scheme.