§ Mr. GoodmanTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people have left employment in his Department because of(a) anxiety, (b) stress, (c) depression and (d) other mental health reasons in each year since 1997. [175671]
§ Mr. PearsonThe 11 Departments of the NI Administration and their agencies and the Northern Ireland Office hold readily available information only in respect of the total number of ill-health retirements, details of which are set out in table 1. More detailed information showing the particular cause of actual ill-health retirements could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.
346WHowever figures set out in table 2 show the number of recommendations made by the Occupational Health Service of the Northern Ireland Civil Service for ill-health retirement under the general category of mental and behavioural disorders. Such recommendations would normally result in actual retirement but it should be noted that the date of a recommendation for ill-health retirement may fall into a different financial year from that of the actual retirement.
Table 1: NICS ill health retirement Financial year Total 2003–04 172 2002–03 189 2001–02 133 2000–01 134 1999–2000 117 1998–99 127 1997–98 130 Note: Figures for 1997–98 to 1999–2000 are for the six NI Departments and their agencies and NIO.
Table 2: OHS recommendations for ill health retirement due to mental and behavioural disorders Financial year Total 2003–04 66 2002–03 59 2001–02 57 2000–01 48 1999–2000 34 Note: No figures are available for the years 1997–98 and 1998–99.