HC Deb 20 May 2002 vol 386 cc131-2W
Mr. Clapham

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many claims for work-related illness were settled by his Department in the last year for which records are available; and what the cost was in compensation. [56084]

Mr. Leslie

The Cabinet Office, including Government Car Despatch Agency, did not settle any claims for work-related illness in year 2001.

This information requested for the Central Office of Information and the Regional Co-ordination Unit is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Cabinet Office is aware of its legal obligations to provide a safe and healthy working environment. It is committed to reducing the number of working days lost through work-related injuries and illness. The Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative is being used as a supporting framework to achieve this goal.

Mr. Clapham

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many employees of his Department retired through work-related ill-health in the last year for which records are available; and what the cost was to the Department. [56085]

Mr. Leslie

Records are not maintained by Cabinet Office that enable ill health retirements to be separately identified as work related. The number of staff retired with a medical retirement certificate issued by the civil service pension scheme medical adviser for year 2001 is as follows:

Number of medical retirements 2001
Cabinet Office 6
COI 1
GCDA 0
RCU 2

Benefits provided on medical retirement are as set out in the rules of the principal civil service pension scheme and laid before Parliament. They provide for an immediate payment of an enhanced pension and lump sum. Ill health retirement expenditure is met centrally from the Civil Superannuation Vote. For the year ending March 2002, provisional expenditure met from the Vote was £310 million in respect of all civil service cases for which an ill health pension has been awarded. These cases number approximately 67,000 and include those who have formerly been ill health retired but who have now reached and exceeded the normal retirement age.

Mr. Clapham

To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many days of sick leave were taken by employees in his Department in the last year for which records are available; what proportion of those were due to work-related illness or injury; and what the cost was to the Department. [56086]

Mr. Leslie

Cabinet Office publishes an analysis of sickness absence in the civil service each year. The most recently published figures (available on the Cabinet Office website) are for calendar year 2000. Cabinet Office Departments (which included in that year GCDA and COI but not RCU) had an average of 4.6 working days absence per staff year.

The report estimates the overall cost of sickness absence within the civil service but does not provide a breakdown by Department.

Information relating specifically to absence caused by work-related illness or injury is not held and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

The Cabinet Office is committed to improving levels of attendance to meet agreed targets and to minimising the number of days absence caused by work-related injury or illness.