§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, by police authority area, the number of officers who have retired on medical grounds in(a)1990, (b)1995, (c)1996, (d)1997, 480W (e) 1998, (f) 1999 and (g) 2000; indicating in each case, and in each police authority area, the percentage this represents of total retirement. [11807]
§ Mr. DenhamThe requested data are given in the tables which have been placed in the Library.
Many forces have made considerable reductions in the level of medical retirements in the last five years. However, as the tables show, the position varies considerably between forces.
The Home Office has asked the Police Negotiating Board to explore and agree ways to deliver a fair and more consistent approach towards early retirement due to ill health, so that forces, can match the performance of the best quartile by 2005. We will be introducing a national occupational health strategy for the police service, which should assist forces to manage cases of ill-health more effectively at the outset.