§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of staff(a) absenteeism and (b) sickness was in his Department, its predecessors and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year from 1990–91 to 2002–03; what the target set is for his Department; and if he will make a statement. [93501]
§ Mr. Stephen TwiggMy Department is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and is reviewing the way sickness absence is managed across the Department.
The target for DfES as set out in the Service Delivery Agreement is to reduce sickness absence to 6.0 days per staff year by 2003. The overall sickness absence rate in the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) for 2001 was 8.4 days per staff year.
The overall sickness absence rate per staff year in the former Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and its agency, the Employment Service (ES), for each of the years from 2000 to 1995 was:
Calendar Year DfEE (excluding ES)(Days) ES(Days) DfEE(including ES) (Days) 2000 7.7 11.8 11.3 1999 7.6 11.5 11.0 1998 8.9 11. 9 11.6 1997 9.8 13.0 12.6 1996 10.3 12.1 11.8 1995 10.3 12.4 11.9 The overall sickness absence rate per staff year for the former Employment Department (ED) in 1994 was 10.2 days and for ES, 11.3 days; the rate for the ED Group, which also comprised the Health and Safety Executive and the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, was 11.0 days. The overall sickness absence rate per staff year for the former Department of Education in 1994 was 8.2 days.
The information is taken from the report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", which is published annually by Cabinet Office. The figures for 2002 will be announced in due course; figures prior to 1994 are no longer readily available.
Non-Departmental Public Bodies
The overall sickness absence rates per staff year in the years in question for each of the non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) attached to DfES, where they are applicable and available, are set out in tables 1 and 2 following.
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Calendar Year Construction Industry Training Board(Days) Engineering Construction Industry Training Board(Days) National College for School Leadership(Days) Higher Education Funding Council for England(Days) investors in people Uk(Days) 2002 10.5 7.7 4.9 1.8 3.5 2001 8.6 6.5 2.1 3.5 6.0 2000 6.5 2.1 4.3 1999 6.2 2.1 2.0 1998 6.1 6.3 1997 8.4 1996 8.2 1995 5.1 1994 6.1 1993 6.1
Financial Year Adult Learning Inspectorate(Days) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority(Days) Students Loans Company(Days) Teacher Training Agency(Days) British Educational communicaton on and Technology Agency(Days) Learning and Skills Council(Days) 2001/02 6.5 7.4 11.2 7.4 5.6 7.0 2000/01 8.4 12.0 5.4 4.8 1999/00 7.4 10.8 6.7 10.3 1998/99 7.4 12.2 4.3 1997/98 6.0 10.8 5.8 1996/97 8.1 10.6 1995/96 7.7 10.0 1994/95 8.5 The information in tables 1 and 2 has been provided by the NDPBs. Information on absenteeism is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.