§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the rate of staff(a) absenteeism and (b) sickness was for her Department, its predecessors and each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies in each year from 1990–91 to 2002–03; what the target set is for her Department; and if she will make a statement. [93497]
§ Alun MichaelThe information requested in respect of absenteeism is not available, and may be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Records are not yet available for the number of days lost due to sickness absence in 2002, but these will be announced in due course. Sickness absence figures for previous calendar years are published in the Cabinet Office annual report "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service", copies of which are placed in House Libraries.
Figures for the most recently available years for the former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the former DETR are shown as an average per staff year. These are:
Days MAFF DETR 1990 7.5 9.4 1991 8.7 10.3 1992 8.0 10.2 1993 8.4 10.7 1994 7.4 9.4 1995 9.1 11.2 1996 7.8 10.4 1997 7.8 9.7 1998 8.7 8.7 1999 9.3 8.7 2000 9 9 2001 7.2 10.5 Figures for sickness absence in the Department's non-departmental public bodies are not held centrally, and may be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
959WThe Department is committed to the effective management of sickness absence, and to meeting its Service Delivery Agreement of reducing sickness absence to 6.9 days for 2003.