Written question asked by Lord Laird (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Monday, 9 October 2006.

Northern Ireland Tourist Board

Question: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 12th July (WA 127) concerning the Northern Ireland Tourist Board, why staff sick leave increased by over 69 per cent from 2000–01 to 2005–06; and what steps are being taken to reduce the number of sick days.

Answer: The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) acknowledges that the increase in sickness absence figures between 2000-01 and 2005-06 is not satisfactory, but it has been largely driven by staff on long-term sickness absence and does not reflect the fact that the majority of staff have had no sickness absence. However, the level of long-term sickness remains a concern, and, following a recent review, the following steps have been taken to address the issue: revised policy and procedures for sickness absence implemented from July 2006; a new employee support programme, which includes occupational health, welfare and counselling facilities from April 2006; and a new performance management system implemented from April 2006 to improve objective setting, performance monitoring and personal development.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 7052; 685 c74WA
Session: 2005-06
Related items: Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Wednesday, 12 July 2006
Written questions
House of Lords
Subjects: Sick leave Northern Ireland Tourist Board
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk