§ Mr. GoodmanTo ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many people have left employment in the House of Commons Service because of(a) stress, (b) anxiety, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [176217]
§ Sir Archy KirkwoodInformation on reasons for leaving the House of Commons Service is not collated centrally, and is not available in the form requested. However, some limited information is available for the period 1 June 2002 to 26 May 2004. During this period, out of 549 leavers overall, three members of staff were medically retired on grounds of stress or depression. These cases were not related to the work that was carried out by the employees: two of them were directly linked to an underlying medical condition.
The House operates a full occupational health service, and individuals who may be suffering from stress are referred to them as soon as possible. The details of each case are subject to normal medical confidentiality. The House's welfare officers are also available to help staff who feel under stress.