§ Mr. Ieuan Wyn JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements exist for the provision of an occupational health service for employees within his Department, stating(a) how many staff are employed to provide occupational health services, (b) how many of those staff are qualified nurses and (c) how many employees work in his Department in total.
§ Mr. HanleyFor its home civil servants, the Northern Ireland Office has access to the services of the Civil Service occupational health service which employs some 100 fully qualified occupational health professionals and operates via a network of regional offices throughout the United Kingdom.
An occupational health service was established within the Northern Ireland Civil Service in 1988. Its primary responsibility is the occupational health care of all civil servants. At present there are three doctor posts, one nurse post and four administrative posts providing the occupational health services.
There are just under 28,600 employees in the Northern Ireland Office and Northern Ireland Departments combined.