HC Deb 06 April 1998 vol 310 cc73-4W
Mr. Malcolm Bruce

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will estimate the rates of absenteeism in his(a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, for (i) 1995–96, (ii) 1996–97 and (iii) 1997–98 to date; and if he will make a statement. [26580]

Mr. Kilfoyle

[pursuant to his reply, 11 March 1998,c. 217–18]: I regret that the previous reply was misleading in one respect; it showed separately from the Cabinet Office, figures for Her Majesty's Stationery Office. HMSO is no longer an Agency, since the privatisation of the great bulk of it in 1996. Since then, the name HMSO refers to the small residual body supervising Crown Copyright and related matters, which is now incorporated within the Cabinet Office (OPS). Its absenteeism figures should more appropriately have been included within the figures for the Cabinet Office rather than shown separately. For the purpose of this answer the Cabinet Office includes the Prime Minister's Office and the Office of Public Service. On this basis the figures are:

Department/Agency 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98
Cabinet Office 8.7 9.4 7.2
Civil Service College 5.7 8.1 5.9
Security Facilities Executive 3.5 7.6 4.8
The Buying Agency 12.3 14.2 13.5
Property Advisers to Civil Estate 8.7 14.2 8.1
Government Car and Despatch Agency 1 1.2 0.6
Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency 6.6 7.5 5.6
1Not known.

Absence rates represent total days absent divided by total number of staff.