§ Mr. ThurnhamTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what assessment she has made of regional variations in sickness rates(a) in the civil service, (b) elsewhere in the public sector and (c) in other employment. [22377]
§ Mr. Robin SquireThe following table gives an assessment of regional variations in sickness rates in the civil service. The Department has not made an assessment of sickness rates for elsewhere in the public sector or in other employment.
Having adjusted for the factors affecting sickness absence which have been considered earlier in this Report (age, gender and grade level), there remain substantial differences between regions. The North West has the highest rate of absence of all Regions, followed by Scotland and Wales. East Anglia and the South West were clearly the regions of lowest absence.
Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 1994: CS Occupational Health and Safety Agency Report Average working days absence per staff-year by region. Region Unadjusted Adjusted 1993 1994 1993 1994 North West 11.8 11.2 10.5 10.6 Scotland 11.7 10.1 10.9 10.0 Wales 11.2 10.0 9.4 9.3 North East 11.2 9.7 9.9 8.9 West Midlands 9.4 8.9 8.6 8.5 Northern Ireland 9.2 9.4 8.5 8.4 South East 8.9 8.1 8.7 8.3 Yorkshire and Humberside 9.3 8.3 8.6 8.1 East Midlands 9.2 8.5 8.3 8.0 South West 8.3 7.5 7.9 7.4 East Anglia 8.5 7.6 7.9 7.3 Civil Service average 10.1 8.9 — —