§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days of sick leave was taken in the last 12 months by(a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other health care professionals and (d) other employees in each health trust. [124520]
§ Angela SmithThe number of sick leave days taken in the last 12 months up to and including 30 June 2003 by(a) doctors, (b) nurses (c) other health care professionals and (d) other employees in each health trust is as follows:
Northern Ireland Civil Service maintains; how frequently staff are permitted to attend to smoke; for what length of time; at what cost; and if he will make a statement. [126161]
§ Mr. PearsonThere are some 158 smoking rooms currently in operation in the Northern Ireland Civil Service and NIO within the general office estate.
Although no central guidance has been issued on the frequency or length of absences permitted in order to use smoking rooms, line managers are required to ensure that any individual cases of abuse of the facility are identified and dealt with quickly.
483WAs use of smoking facilities is at management discretion and the cost of providing and maintaining the smoking rooms is not identified separately from other accommodation costs the cost of this facility could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
The NICS has been trying to encourage staff to give up smoking through its Workplace health Improvement Programme. This programme is designed to raise awareness of a range of health issues, including smoking, and offers practical advice to encourage staff to adopt/maintain a healthy lifestyle.