§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 11 January (WA 27) concerning unacceptable levels of sick absence by Northern Ireland civil servants, by what criteria a level of sick absence is determined to be unacceptable. [HL796]
§ The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos)My previous answer stated that the level of sickness absence in the Northern Ireland Civil Service is not satisfactory. This is when considered against the statistics and findings from a range of surveys and research papers covering the public and private sectors. Fit for Purpose, the reform agenda for the Northern Ireland Civil Service, commits to a progressive reduction in the level and/or cost of absenteeism with new targets to be in place by April 2005.