Departmental Sick Leave

Defence written question – answered at on 25 October 2010.

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Photo of Mike Freer Mike Freer Conservative, Finchley and Golders Green

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for how many days on average his Department's staff in each pay grade were absent from work as a result of ill health in 2009-10.

Photo of Andrew Robathan Andrew Robathan The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence

Sickness absence rates by average working days lost (AWDL) per full-time equivalent (FTE) employee in the Ministry of Defence for the 12 months ending 30 June 2010, the latest information available, are shown in the following table.

The table includes non-industrial and industrial staff and the staff of the four MOD trading funds, but excludes staff in the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and locally engaged civilians for whom sickness absence data are not readily available.

FTE rates( 1, 2)
Grade (equivalent)( 3) July 2009 to 30 June 2010
AA 11.61
AO 9.75
HO 7.84
HEO 5.64
SEO 5.12
G7 3.86
G6 2.83
SCS 2.17
Unknown 4.16
(1) Data presented reflect the current Cabinet Office definition, setting a maximum absence of 225 days per person, and excludes data for weekends, annual leave and bank holidays. Excludes staff who have been classed as on zero pay.

(2) Average working days lost per full-time equivalent are calculated by dividing the total working days lost for each period by a weighted average of the first of the month strengths for the period, with the strengths at 1 January at the start and end of the period receiving a weighting of 0.5, and the strengths at the first of the other months in the period a weighting of 1.

(3) Equivalent civil service grades have been used to amalgamate the various MOD non-industrial, industrial and trading fund grades.

The MOD is committed to reducing sickness absence and occupational health advice and support is available to all employees and their line managers. Guidance and training is available to line managers on managing absence; we actively encourage the use of return to work interviews and have trigger points in place for the commencement of management action. We are currently reviewing all of our absence policies.

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