§ Mr. BercowTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions if he will commission and publish an independent report on the reasons for the level of sickness absence in his Department. [26996]
§ Dr. WhiteheadThe Cabinet Office already commissions and publishes an independent annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service". This report includes details of the causes of absenteeism. The report for the year 2000 will be published shortly. We are committed to managing sickness absence effectively and are seeking to reduce the incidence within the Department.