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Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs;Central Science Laboratory;Veterinary Laboratories Agency;Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science;Rural Payments Agency

Answer

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many sick days were lost over the last year by her Department through staff mental health problems. [112000] Alun Michael: Out of a total of 2,324,960 potential calendar working days for staff in Defra 21,854 were lost during 2002 due to staff sickness with mental health problems. These figures include 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 sick days were lost by CSL due to staff mental health problems in the last year. In the calendar year 2002, CSL lost a total of 684 work days 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 sick days were lost over the last year by her department through staff mental health problems. 3,002 calendar days were lost in the VLA during 2002 due to staff sickness with 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. Letter from Peter Greig-Smith to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated May 2003: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked me to reply to your questions regarding mental health problems. I am replying on behalf of the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). PQ 2872 From the 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 28 members of staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems. PQ 2874 From the 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 493 working days were lost through staff mental health problems. PQ 2875 From the 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 Nil return for staff retiring on medical grounds due to mental health problems. CEFAS has successfully introduced a scheme for `Return to Workplace' interviews and is fully committed to managing attendance effectively. We are on target for achieving the reduced levels of sickness absence we have set out for the Agency. Letter from Johnston McNeill to Mr. Paul Marsden, dated 26 March 2003: I have been asked to respond directly to your three recent Parliamentary Questions concerning mental health issues. I will address your first two questions together: Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of his staff have taken sick leave due to mental health problems in the last year. Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sick days were lost over the last year by his Department through staff mental health problems. Information on the number of staff who have taken sick leave due to mental health reasons and how many days were lost over the last year through staff mental health problems is not available for the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). RPA is a relatively new organisation formed in October 2001. As such we are still developing a computerised Personnel System to provide sickness absence data of the kind requested. Specific information on numbers of staff absent and days lost due to mental health problems over the last year could only be obtained at disproportionate administrative cost and time. Turning to your third question: Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year. Two members of staff from the RPA retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year. RPA is committed to managing sickness absence effectively and to meeting internal performance targets for reducing sickness absence for 2003-04. We have developed a sickness absence management policy and procedures that includes a revised strategy for managing long term sickness absence, for implementation from May 2003. RPA also acts responsibly to the legal obligation to provide a safe working environment for employees and is committed to meeting targets for reducing the number of working days lost generally due to work related injuries and illness, arising from the Government's Revitalising Health and Safety initiative.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

112000; 408 c918-20W;408 c916-8W

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