§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many days of sick leave were taken in his Department last year; how many related to employees suffering(a) stress and (b) other mental health problems; and what the cost was to his Department. [56488]
§ Mr. Paul Murphy[holding answer 14 May 2002]: The number of days of sick leave taken in my Department last year was 232 days. This averages to 6.1 days per staff year. Sickness records are not broken down by (a) stress (other than work-related) or (b) other mental health.
The civil service is committed to reducing sickness absence by 20 per cent. by 2010 (to 8.3 days per staff year). Wales Office average of sick leave for last year is already below this target.