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Written Question
Sick Leave: Sickle Cell Diseases
Wednesday 2nd April 2025

Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of working days that were lost due to the effects of sickle cell disorder in the last 12 months.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Office for National Statistics publish annual statistics on sickness absence in the UK labour market, which includes the reasons for sickness absence. However, the reasons are not provided in this data at the level of detail of specific conditions, such as sickle cell disorder.

The latest statistics for sickness absence in the UK labour market can be found here: Sickness absence in the UK labour market - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk)


Written Question
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Sick Leave
Thursday 13th March 2025

Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of untreated musculoskeletal conditions on levels of lost workdays.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

Over 17 million people in England live with a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition, which are a leading cause of ill-health related economic inactivity, with 23.4 million working days lost across the United Kingdom in 2022 due to this. Improving health and work outcomes will help deliver the Government's missions to build a National Health Service fit for the future and kickstart economic growth.

The Get Britain Working white paper sets out the Government’s plans to reform employment, health, and skills support, to tackle rising economic inactivity levels. The white paper announced the joint Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS England Getting It Right First Time MSK Community Delivery Programme, which has been working directly with integrated care boards in England to reduce MSK community waiting times and enable referral pathways to wider support services.

As part of the mission led Government, regular cross Government collaboration takes place at both a ministerial and official level.


Written Question
Government Departments: Sick Leave
Wednesday 13th November 2024

Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Answer of 2 February 2024 to Question 11521 on Government Departments: Sick Leave, if he will make an estimate of the number of staff days lost to long term sick absences in each Department in 2023.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)

The table below provides the estimates requested, number of long term sick days lost per department, along with our preferred measure, Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) per staff year which accounts for workforce size and composition. Data is provided for the main Ministerial Departments consistent with the answer of 2 February 2024 to Question 11521.

Long term sickness absence by Main Department, days lost and average working days lost per staff year, 2023

2023 (year ending 31 Mar 2023)

Department

Long Term Sick Days Lost

Average Working Days Lost

Cabinet Office

24,260

2.3

Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities

8,360

2.0

Department Culture Media and Sport

3,370

1.4

Department for Environment

25,560

2.1

Department for Education

19,790

2.5

Department for Transport

75,190

4.8

Department for Health and Social Care

34,180

3.3

Department for Work and Pensions

367,360

4.7

HM Customers and Revenue

305,190

4.5

HM Treasury

4,230

1.5

Home Office

139,980

3.8

Ministry of Defence

173,050

3.2

Ministry of Justice

580,740

6.9

Scottish Government

151,000

5.8

Welsh Government

21,560

3.9


Written Question
Government Departments: Sick Leave
Friday 2nd February 2024

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 15 January 2024 to Question 8810 on Cabinet Office: Sick Leave, if he will make an estimate of the total number staff days lost to long term sick absences in each Department in each year since 2015.

Answered by John Glen

The tables below provide the estimates requested, long term sick days lost per department (Table 1), along with our preferred measure, Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) per staff year which accounts for workforce size and composition (Table 2). Data is provided for the main Ministerial Departments and excludes those that have been most impacted by Machinery of Government changes, for which times series comparisons between 2015 and 2022 are not possible.

Table 1: Long Term Sickness Absence by Main Department, Days Lost, 2015-2022

Long Term Sick Days Lost

Department

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Cabinet Office

5,580

6,510

6,400

5,050

10,550

13,250

13,090

20,750

Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities

8,460

9,270

7,840

7,140

6,710

7,310

6,850

7,670

Department Culture Media and Sport

530

1,810

1,490

3,470

3,710

3,630

2,670

4,110

Department for Environment

18,960

16,690

14,890

14,240

15,490

19,880

19,210

27,070

Department for Education

10,940

7,990

7,890

12,370

13,870

13,810

9,580

20,410

Department for Transport

84,920

67,810

64,430

66,560

72,710

70,130

51,950

71,260

Department for Health and Social Care

27,790

26,270

21,140

23,520

24,950

24,300

20,880

27,770

Department for Work and Pensions

261,960

221,470

234,770

239,720

276,110

311,110

243,230

383,320

HM Customers and Revenue

214,960

232,220

225,420

208,810

205,770

233,750

189,360

243,040

HM Treasury

1,500

2,030

2,870

2,150

3,190

3,050

2,770

3,990

Home Office

95,910

103,870

101,740

114,820

119,990

132,200

109,360

148,080

Ministry of Defence

222,240

203,240

197,180

195,440

185,100

219,600

219,380

149,690

Ministry of Justice

442,840

414,460

403,990

372,220

398,510

434,270

435,690

596,420

Scottish Government

83,580

80,990

88,840

97,660

109,990

123,980

111,300

134,510

Welsh Government

23,160

23,980

22,880

22,630

23,840

17,290

14,590

20,110

Table 2 : Long Term Sickness Absence by Main Department, Average Working Days Lost per Staff Year, 2015-2022

Long Term Average Working Days Lost per Staff Year

Department

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Cabinet Office

1.9

2.2

1.9

1.1

1.7

1.7

1.4

1.9

Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities

3.4

3.8

3.6

3.1

2.4

2.3

2.0

2.0

Department Culture Media and Sport

1.0

1.5

1.4

2.7

2.5

2.1

1.3

1.4

Department for Environment

2.5

2.4

2.2

2.0

1.8

2.1

1.9

2.4

Department for Education

3.2

2.6

2.0

2.2

2.4

2.2

1.3

2.6

Department for Transport

5.3

5.3

4.9

5.0

5.3

5.0

3.6

4.9

Department for Health and Social Care

3.4

3.2

3.2

2.8

3.1

3.0

2.2

2.6

Department for Work and Pensions

3.2

2.9

3.1

3.2

3.7

4.4

3.3

4.5

HM Customers and Revenue

3.6

3.7

3.5

3.3

3.4

3.8

3.2

3.9

HM Treasury

1.2

1.3

1.7

1.1

1.6

1.4

1.1

1.5

Home Office

3.6

3.9

4.0

4.4

4.2

4.2

3.4

4.5

Ministry of Defence

4.4

4.1

4.0

3.9

3.8

4.2

4.1

2.8

Ministry of Justice

6.8

6.4

6.4

5.8

5.7

6.1

6.0

7.4

Scottish Government

5.1

5.0

5.5

5.9

6.4

6.3

5.4

5.9

Welsh Government

4.2

4.5

4.4

4.5

4.7

3.3

2.8

3.7

Notes:

  • Annual Data for year ending 31 March 20xx

  • Source – Management Information

  • Days rounded to nearest 10 days, AWDL rounded to 1 decimal place

  • Ministerial Departments which have been most impacted by Machinery of Government changes over the period, and for which, consistent comparisons are not possible, are not shown.

  • For sickness absence publications see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence


Written Question
Cabinet Office: Sick Leave
Monday 15th January 2024

Asked by: Christine Jardine (Liberal Democrat - Edinburgh West)

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an estimate of the total number staff days lost to long term sick absences in each Department in each year since 2021.

Answered by John Glen

Cabinet Office publishes sickness absence data for the Civil Service on an annual basis on gov.uk. Our preferred measure is Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) per staff year which accounts for workforce size and composition. The table below provides the data requested, days lost per department, along with AWDL for context. Data for 2023 are in production for planned publication by end March 2024.

Table: Long Term Sickness Absence by Department 2021 and 2022

Organisation

2021

2022

Days

AWDL

Days

AWDL

Attorney General's Departments

5,250

2.2

7,190

2.9

Crown Prosecution Service

18,530

3.1

23,570

3.7

Serious Fraud Office

830

1.8

940

2.0

Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

34,010

2.1

47,160

2.5

Cabinet Office

13,090

1.4

20,750

1.9

National Savings and Investments

370

1.9

170

0.9

Charity Commission

1,300

2.7

s

s

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

6,850

2.0

7,670

2.0

Competition and Markets Authority

1,100

1.4

870

1.0

Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport

2,670

1.3

4,110

1.4

Ministry of Defence

219,380

4.1

149,690

2.8

Department for International Trade

3,960

0.8

6,820

1.3

Department for Education

9,580

1.3

20,410

2.6

Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

19,210

1.9

27,070

2.4

ESTYN

410

3.9

320

3.1

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

16,750

1.9

18,830

2.3

Food Standards Agency

3,850

2.9

4,500

3.4

The Health and Safety Executive

7,440

3.2

10,520

4.2

Department of Health and Social Care

20,880

2.2

27,770

2.6

HM Revenue and Customs

189,360

3.2

243,040

3.9

HM Treasury

2,770

1.1

3,990

1.5

Home Office

109,360

3.4

148,080

4.5

Ministry of Justice

435,690

6.0

596,420

7.4

National Crime Agency

10,640

2.1

15,180

3.3

Northern Ireland Office

140

0.9

420

2.4

Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services & Skills

6,530

3.6

9,270

5.3

Office of Gas and Electricity Markets

2,260

2.1

2,650

2.1

Office of Rail and Road

590

1.9

290

0.9

Scotland Office (incl. Office Advocate General for Scotland)

320

2.8

490

4.2

Scottish Government

111,300

5.4

134,510

5.9

Department for Transport

51,950

3.6

71,260

4.9

United Kingdom Statistics Authority

9,250

2.4

10,070

2.2

UK Export Finance

250

0.7

340

0.8

UK Supreme Court

*

*

280

5.2

Wales Office

230

4.4

190

4.1

Water Services Regulation Authority

570

2.4

250

1.0

Welsh Government

14,590

2.8

20,110

3.7

Department for Work and Pensions

243,230

3.3

383,320

4.5

Notes:

  • Annual Data for year ending 31 March 2021 and 31 March 2022

  • Source – Management Information

  • Days rounded to nearest 10 days, AWDL rounded to 1 decimal place

  • s = suppressed due to data review, * = suppressed due to low counts

  • For sickness absence publications see https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence


Written Question
Employment: Menopause
Monday 7th November 2022

Asked by: Peter Dowd (Labour - Bootle)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent steps his Department has taken to help tackle the number of working days lost due to (a) menopause and (b) perimenopause.

Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)

It is important that those who experience substantial and longer-term menopausal effects should be adequately protected from discrimination in the workplace, and that employers are fully aware of the challenges and their current legal obligations, including under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act).

Depending on circumstances, the Act provides protection from discrimination on grounds of sex and/or age and/or disability for employees experiencing the effects of the menopause.

With women over 50 representing the fastest growing segment of the workforce, there are few workplaces where the menopause is not being experienced by staff.

In July 2021 The Minister for Employment commissioned the roundtable on older workers to look at the menopause and employment. An independent menopause and the workplace report was published and the Government’s response was outlined in July. Alongside this, the Women’s Health Strategy sets out a range of commitments including encouraging employers to implement evidence-based workplace support and introduce workplace menopause policies.


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Lost Working Days
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,what the Average Working Days Lost was for civil servants in her Department who have (a) declared themselves as having a disability and (b) not declared themselves to have a disability in the calendar year (i) 2019 and (ii) 2020.

Answered by Guy Opperman

The Department only holds information relating to its own staff. Average working days lost figures are calculated on rolling year to date basis, therefore the following data relate to the year to 31 December. Due to the way that data is structured in our systems we do not hold this data in the format requested and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Dec-20

Disabled

9.16

Non Disabled

5.07

Unknown

5.72


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Lost Working Days
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Average Working Days Lost was for civil servants in her Department (a) aged 30 and younger, (b) 30 to 50, (c) 50 to 60 and (d) over 60 in the calendar year (i) 2019 and (ii) 2020.

Answered by Guy Opperman

The Department only holds information relating to its own staff. Average working days lost figures are calculated on rolling year to date basis, therefore the following data relates to the rolling year to 31 December.

Dec-19

Dec-20

29 and Younger

8.08

4.85

30 to 49

7.80

5.36

50 to 59

8.11

5.87

60 and Over

9.83

7.17

Other

0.00

0.00


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Lost Working Days
Monday 1st March 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Average Working Days Lost was for civil servants in her Department (a) from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds and (b) recording themselves as White in the calendar year (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.

Answered by Guy Opperman

The Department only holds information relating to its own staff. Average working days lost figures are calculated on rolling year to date basis, therefore the following data relate to the year to 31 December. Due to the way that data is structured in our systems we do not hold this data in the format requested and it could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Declaration of ethnicity is not mandatory, however as at December 2020, 87.8 per cent of staff have declared their ethnicity.

Dec-20

Ethnic Minority

5.35

White

5.57

Unknown

6.13


Written Question
Department for Work and Pensions: Lost Working Days
Thursday 25th February 2021

Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average number of working days lost (AWDL) was for (a) female and (b) male civil servants in (i) 2019 and (ii) 2020.

Answered by Guy Opperman

The Department only holds information relating to its own staff. Average working days lost figures are calculated on rolling year to date basis, therefore the following data relate to the year to 31 December.

Female

Male

Dec-19

8.91

6.89

Dec-20

6.24

4.88