§ Mr. Paul MarsdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many of his staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year; [111989]
(2) how many sick days were lost over the last year by his Department through staff mental health problems. [112003]
§ Dr. MoonieIn 2002, 106,081 sick days were due to mental health problems. This figure includes stress related and non-stress related mental illnesses. 2,559 staff took sick leave due to mental health problems. This figure includes civilian non-industrial staff but do not include industrial staff, Ministry of Defence trading funds and RFA's.
MOD is committed to improving the health of its staff and managing sick absence more effectively. The department has a legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for all our employees and have a commitment under the Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative to meet targets for reducing the number of working days lost generally due to work related injuries and illnesses.