HC Deb 21 February 2000 vol 344 c774W
Caroline Flint

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in each of the last five years, what proportion of women employees in (i) his Department and (ii) executive agencies under the control of his Department(a) returned to work after childbirth, (b) returned to work after childbirth before the end of maternity leave, indicating the (1) time-range and (2) mean time, (c) returned to work after childbirth on reduced working hours, indicating the average hours worked and (d) returned to work after childbirth full-time and subsequently reduced their hours. [108969]

Yvette Cooper

The Department and its executive agencies (the Medicines Control Agency, the Medical Devices Agency, National Health Service Pensions Agency and NHS Estates) all provide the same terms and conditions of employment. The table covers the Department as a whole and shows the proportion of women employees returning to work after childbirth in each of the last five years against the number of women employees going on maternity leave.

Year Numbers on maternity leave Percentage of returnees
1995 67 93
1996 110 89
1997 130 78
1998 109 77
1999 90 97

Data relating to the other information required could be established only at disproportionate cost.