HC Deb 29 January 1996 vol 270 cc523-4W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, what estimate he has made of absenteeism rates in days per annum for staff in his Department for each of the years(a) 1979–80, (b) 1989–90, (c) 1991–92, (d) 1993–94, (e) 1994–95 and (f) 1995–96. [11353]

Mr. Boswell

Information in the form requested is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

However, selected aggregated data on sickness absence in respect of calendar years has been available since 1985, in the form of reports from Her Majesty's Treasury and more recently the Civil Service Occupational Health and Safety Agency (OHSA). Figures for the Department based on these data,(and which necessarily include some of the agencies in the period 1990 to 1994), are as follows:

Year Average number of days sick absence per staff year
19891 6.3
19902 7.5
1991 8.7
1992 8.0
1993 8.4
1994 7.4
1Figures are based on a 10 per cent. sample.
2Figures are based on a 20 per cent. sample.