§ Mr. Ian McCartneyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days were lost in sickness in the last 12 months by employees in his Department(a) in total and (b) as a proportion of the number of days worked; and what was the cost of this absence. [34600]
§ Mr. Sackville[pursuant to the reply, 14 July 1995, column 825]: I regret that the previous reply contained an error. The figure for estimated days lost through sickness was given as 69,363, representing 6.23 per cent. of working days. The original figures were incorrect because they included all absences, for example staff on maternity leave. New figures from the Occupational Health and Safety Agency show that 48,031 days were lost due to sickness in 1994, some 4 per cent. of working days. This is below the average for the civil service.