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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs;Central Science Laboratory;Veterinary Laboratories Agency

Answer

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many of her staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year. [111986] Alun Michael: Using a wide definition of mental health, including such issues as stress and alcoholism, 659 people out of the 10,568 staff employed in Defra took sick leave during 2002 due to mental health problems. The Department is committed to the effective support of staff and management of sickness absence as well as to meeting its Service Delivery Agreement for reducing sickness absence by the end of 2003. The Department is also committed to reducing the number of working days lost from work related injury and ill health, in response to the government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative. The departmental response includes the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and Pesticides Safety Directorate Agencies. Responsibility for sickness absence within the Central Science Laboratory Agency, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, the Rural Payments Agency and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science Agency has been delegated to the Agency Chief Executives and I have asked them to reply direct. Letter from Professor Mike Roberts to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated May 2003: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked me to reply, with respect to the Central Science Laboratory, to your question concerning how many staff took sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year. In the calendar year 2002, a total of 26 CSL staff took sick leave for reasons that could justifiably be classified as `mental health'. CSL has been successful in managing sickness absence through innovations such as recruiting a dedicated Occupational Health professional, running regular health awareness campaigns and carrying out all-staff health surveys. This has contributed to CSL achieving the Civil Service sickness absence target of 7.2 days per employee a year early. CSL remains closely aware of it's legal duty to provide a safe working environment for all it's employees and is committed both to operating best practice in this area and to meeting the targets set out in the `Revitalising Health & Safety' initiative. Letter from Professor Steven Edwards to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated May 2003: The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question on how many of her staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year. 51 Staff in the VLA took sick leave during 2002 due to mental health problems. VLA is committed to the effective management of sickness absence and to meeting its Service Delivery Agreement for reducing sickness absence by the end of 2003. We are also committed to reducing the number of working days lost from work-related injury and ill health, in response to the government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

111986; 408 c918W;408 c916W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Civil servants Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Government departments Mental illness Sick leave

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk