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 - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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
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 - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
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
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days that staff in Immigration Enforcement were unable to work [CLARIFY: due to sickness] in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, and (c) 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see table below.
Business Area | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
|
Borders and Enforcement | 9.39 |
|
Data Source: Metis - Home Office Human Capital Management System | ||
Period Covered: 01/07/2021 to 30/06/2022 | ||
Organisational Coverage: Borders and Enforcement data has been provided as Border Force has not existed since the Blueprint changes in October 2021 | ||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | ||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days lost to sickness for staff working in Immigration Enforcement in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see table below.
Business Area | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
|
Borders and Enforcement | 9.39 |
|
Data Source: Metis - Home Office Human Capital Management System | ||
Period Covered: 01/07/2021 to 30/06/2022 | ||
Organisational Coverage: Borders and Enforcement data has been provided as Border Force has not existed since the Blueprint changes in October 2021 | ||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | ||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days lost to sickness for staff working in UK Visas and Immigration in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see table below.
Business Area | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
|
Visas & Immigration | 9.15 |
|
Data Source: Metis - Home Office Human Capital Management System. | ||
Period Covered: 01/07/2021 to 30/06/2022. | ||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | ||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days lost for staff in her Department inclusive of the Border Force between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see the table below.
Business Area | Year | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
|
Border Force | Dec 2019 | 7.14 |
|
Border Force | Dec 2020 | 5.95 |
|
Borders and Enforcement | Dec 2021 | 8.23 |
|
Dec 2019 & Dec 2020: Adelphi - Home Office Human Resources Record System. | |||
Dec 2021: Metis - Home Office Human Capital Management System. | |||
Period Covered: 1st January to 31st December each year. | |||
Organisational Coverage: | |||
Dec 2019 & Dec 2020: Border Force. | |||
Dec 2021: Borders and Enforcement data has been provided as Border Force has not existed since the Blueprint changes in October 2021. | |||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | |||
Note: A change in the business hierarchy saw Border Force & Immigration Enforcement become a new department, Borders & Enforcement. | |||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days lost in her Department at each grade between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see the table below.
Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
| |||
Grades | Dec 2019 | Dec 2020 | Dec 2021 |
|
AA | 9.15 | 9.25 | 13.18 |
|
AO | 9.28 | 7.61 | 9.88 |
|
EO | 7.95 | 6.52 | 9.12 |
|
HEO | 5.67 | 4.65 | 5.88 |
|
SEO | 4.88 | 3.57 | 4.64 |
|
Grade 7 | 3.04 | 2.74 | 3.17 |
|
Grade 6 | 1.69 | 2.19 | 2.62 |
|
SCS | 1.60 | 1.95 | 2.18 |
|
Dec 2019 & Dec 2020: Adelphi - Home Office Human Resources Record System. | ||||
Dec 2021: Metis - Home Office Human Capital Management System. | ||||
Period Covered: 1st January to 31st December each year. | ||||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | ||||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days lost for staff working in the Border Force in the last 12 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see the table below.
Business Area | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
|
Borders and Enforcement | 9.39 |
|
Data Source: Metis - Home Office Human Capital Management System. | ||
Period Covered: 01/07/2021 to 30/06/2022. | ||
Organisational Coverage: Borders and Enforcement data has been provided as Border Force has not existed since the Blueprint changes in October 2021. | ||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | ||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what was the average number of working days lost to sickness for staff working in HM Passport Office during the last 12 months.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see the table below.
Business Area | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
|
HM Passport Office | 10.65 |
|
Period Covered: 01/07/2021 to 30/06/2022. | ||
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered. | ||
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average number of working days lost to sickness among (a) BAME and (b) non-BAME staff in her Department between 1 January 2019 and 31 December 2021.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
Please see table below.
Ethnicity | Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) |
Minority Ethnic | 10.81 |
White | 7.82 |
Period Covered: 01/07/2021 to 30/06/2022
Organisational Coverage: Home Office
Employee Coverage: In line with Cabinet Office guidelines on sickness absence reporting, the data is based on FTE of paid civil servants who had a sickness absence during the period covered.
Notes: Figures for Ethnicity are representative of only those staff where ethnicity is known. Those who ‘Prefer not to say’ or are ‘Not Surveyed’ have been excluded.
Average Working Days Lost (AWDL) | |||
Ethnicity | Dec 2019 | Dec 2020 | Dec 2021 |
Minority Ethnic | 8.42 | 6.84 | 10.22 |
White | 6.71 | 5.49 | 7.01 |