Attorney General: Sick Leave

Asked by: Norman Lamb (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)

Question to the Attorney General:

To ask the Attorney General, how many working days were lost due to mental illness in the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last three years.

Answered by Robert Buckland

The Attorney General’s Office, Government Legal Department and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate report quarterly sickness absence statistics to Cabinet Office and define mental disorders as absences for reasons of stress; mood affective disorders; disorders of personality & behaviour and schizophrenia.

Based on these definitions, the number of working days lost due to mental disorders in these three departments in each of the last three financial years is as follows:

Year Days lost to Mental Disorders

AGO GLD HMCPSI

01/04/2013 – 31/03/2014 23 1,843 15

01/04/2014 – 31/03/2015 0 1,704.5 168

01/04/2015 – 31/03/2016 0 1,551 28

In the last 3 financial years the following numbers of absence days have been recorded by the Serious Fraud Office for reasons of Anxiety, Depressive Disorder or Mental Disorder:

Year Days lost to Mental Disorders

2013/14 18 days

2014/15 176.5 days

2015/16 507 days

In addition to this the following number of absence days have been recorded as Stress or Work Related Stress:

Year Days lost to Mental Disorders

2013/14 105 days

2014/15 195 days

2015/16 529 days

The number of working days lost to mental illness in the Crown Prosecution Service for the last three financial years is shown in the table below:

The absence reasons which are included in the Mental Illness category are categorised in line with World Health Organisation (WHO).