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1126568

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Wales Office
answering dept id	28
answering dept short name	Wales
answering dept sort name	Wales
hansard heading	Wales Office: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2019 answer text <p>The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is unable to disclose the number or proportion of officials in the Department citing stress as a reason for sick absence in the last twelve months as the data relates to fewer than five staff, and releasing the data would risk the identification of individuals.</p><p>Sick leave for reasons relating to stress amounted to 33% of total sick leave days in the Department in the 12 months to 31 March. The cost of officials taking sick leave was £14,117.</p><p>The physical and mental wellbeing of our staff is crucially important to the department and staff have access to all employee services that help to sustain physical and mental wellbeing, including Occupational Health and a 24-hour employee assistance helpline.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Torbay answering member printed Kevin Foster question first answered 17/05/2019 09:24:23 answering member 4451 label Biography information for Kevin Foster
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126572

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Defence
answering dept id	11
answering dept short name	Defence
answering dept sort name	Defence
hansard heading	Ministry of Defence: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department office took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in her Department; and what the cost was to her Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254081
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Civilian Sickness Absence data has been published on the GOV.UK website since January 2016 and the latest available edition can be found at the following link:</p><p> </p><p>https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-civilian-sickness-absence-financial-year-201718.</p><p> </p><p>Data relating to the 12 month period to 31 March 2019 is due to be published on 13 June 2019.</p><p> </p><p>The MOD takes the health and wellbeing of its personnel very seriously. The Department’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy for all MOD employees, military and civilian, is designed to provide guidance to the chain of command and civilian line managers on how to manage the health needs, both mental and physical, of their people. The aim is to maximise the number of people fit to work, managing people back to work after a period of sickness, so that they are fit and able to meet the requirements of Defence outputs, including operational effectiveness. In 2017, the Department also launched its Defence People Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2017–2022 with a four-step plan of implementation; promotion, prevention, detection and treatment.</p><p> </p><p>All civilian staff can access the Department’s Employee Wellbeing Service which offers emotional support and advice on life events as well as counselling services. In addition, the Speak Safe helpline provides a safe space to discuss issues relating to bullying, harassment and discrimination. The Department also has over 2,000 civilian and military Mental Health First Aiders, each of whom has completed a two-day course delivered in accordance with the requirements of Mental Health First Aid England (or equivalent).</p><p> </p><p>The MOD offers a range of flexibilities to enable a better work-life balance for civilian employees. The department recognises that by enabling employees to create a good work-life balance it benefits by attracting and retaining high calibre staff.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Bournemouth East answering member printed Mr Tobias Ellwood question first answered 20/05/2019 13:09:22 answering member 1487 label Biography information for Mr Tobias Ellwood
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126565

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254074
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The number of employees in the department who were absent for stress-related reasons from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 was 119, which represented 1.84% of the total workforce and 11.26% of the overall sickness absence.</p><p>The estimated cost of this sickness absence is £3,456,595 (based on a calculation of total working days lost multiplied by the daily rate of the department’s median salary).</p><p> </p><p>The department is committed to the health and wellbeing of all our employees, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace. There is a range of guidance and services in place to support the department’s employees such as Mental Health First Aiders, Employee Assistance Programmes and Fair Treatment Ambassadors.</p><p> </p><p>Sickness absence data for the Civil Service from 1999 to the first quarter of 2018 is published on GOV.UK and available at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-sickness-absence</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 21/05/2019 16:06:04 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126560

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Department for International Development
answering dept id	20
answering dept short name	International Development
answering dept sort name	International Development
hansard heading	Department for International Development: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>106 DFID employees were absent due to stress, anxiety and/or depression during the period 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019. This represented 3.6% of DFID’s workforce and 21% of the overall sickness absence for the department during this period. The estimated cost to DFID due to sickness absence during the period 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2019 was £217,350.</p><p> </p><p>DFID is committed to the health and wellbeing of all our staff, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace. DFID offers a range of guidance and services in place to support staff, including our Employee Assistance Programme (EAP), which offers telephone and face to face counselling for all staff. This service also provides a wide range of online information and advice on work/life issues. DFID’s HR teams and Occupational Health Services provide support and advice for staff and managers to ensure a successful return to work after a period of mental ill health. DFID also has a Listening Network, an informal peer staff network, to complement the help already available.</p> answering member constituency West Worcestershire answering member printed Harriett Baldwin question first answered 21/05/2019 14:55:41 answering member 4107 label Biography information for Dame Harriett Baldwin
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126563

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept id	7
answering dept short name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
answering dept sort name	Housing, Communities and Local Government
hansard heading	Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254072
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>A total of 26 employees in the department were absent due to stress-related reasons in the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 and this represented less than 1 per cent of the total workforce. The proportion of sickness absence owing to stress related reasons was 6 per cent of all sickness absence for the department for the same period.</p><p>The estimated cost to the department between 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 for employees taking sickness absence, is estimated at a total of £1.1 million.</p><p>The department is committed to the health and wellbeing of all our staff, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace. It has a range of guidance and services in place to support staff including a contracted Employee Assistance Programme (Help), an Occupational Health referral service to support staff throughout their absence and return to work, and a listening and support service through a Mental Health Ambassador Network.</p><p>The department offers a proactive model of Health and wellbeing support to staff, including those engaged in emotionally challenging work, ensuring that they are provided with interventions that are tailored to both specific groups and individuals.</p> answering member constituency Rossendale and Darwen answering member printed Jake Berry question first answered 21/05/2019 13:08:07 answering member 4060 label Biography information for Sir Jake Berry
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126570

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Scotland Office
answering dept id	2
answering dept short name	Scotland
answering dept sort name	Scotland
hansard heading	Scotland Office: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254079
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2019 answer text <p>The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government departments, who remain the employers. These Departments have their own absence management policies and recording processes that apply to those of their staff working in the office. Detailed reasons for absence attributable to stress and other sickness absence is not retained by the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland.</p><p>The office takes sickness absence and the general wellbeing of staff very seriously and works alongside the employing departments to ensure that anyone who is experiencing issues receives support and assistance.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale answering member printed David Mundell question first answered 21/05/2019 11:52:21 answering member 1512 label Biography information for David Mundell
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126562

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Treasury
answering dept id	14
answering dept short name	Treasury
answering dept sort name	Treasury
hansard heading	Treasury: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254071
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Treasury’s sickness absence data for ‘mental health and related issues includes stress related conditions. HM Treasury publishes data in the Annual report and Accounts. The data for January to December 2017 can be found in the 2017/18 report and accounts, and data for the period January to December 2018 will be reported in the 2018/19 annual report and accounts which is due to be published in July.</p><p> </p><p>For information I have attached a link below to the 2017/18 report.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-report" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-annual-report</a></p><p> </p><p>We do not currently make an estimate of the cost of sick absence to the department.</p><p> </p><p>HM Treasury has the following support in place for those that are suffering due to stress or poor mental health including:</p><ul><li>Stress and Mental Health Awareness e-learning – which covers learning about stress, what the stressors can be and how to identify and lessen stress</li><li>Stress risk assessment used to identify stressors and implement controls to help reduce/eliminate the stress</li><li>Workplace Adjustments including flexible working</li><li>Stress Management guidance</li><li>Wellbeing Gateway</li><li>Mental Health Tips</li><li>Tips to help reduce stress</li><li>Mental Health First Aiders</li><li>Employee Assistance Programme - provides a number of confidential advisory, counselling and support services. Their helpline is available 24/7</li><li>Occupational Health provision</li><li>Mental Wellbeing Network</li><li>Treasury Supporters who are employees trained to help colleagues work through any concerns, however serious whatever their cause</li><li>Wellness Action Plans</li><li>Time to Talk Workshops</li><li>HR Advisers and Health, Safety &amp; Wellbeing Team</li><li>HSE Stress Talking Toolkit</li></ul> answering member constituency Newark answering member printed Robert Jenrick question first answered 22/05/2019 16:38:48 answering member 4320 label Biography information for Robert Jenrick
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126558

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Ministry of Justice
answering dept id	54
answering dept short name	Justice
answering dept sort name	Justice
hansard heading	Ministry of Justice: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254067
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The total number of staff<strong><em><sup>1</sup></em></strong> working days lost due to sickness<sup>2</sup>, and more specifically stress, between April 2018 and March 2019 is as follows</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>Total Number of staff</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Working Days Lost</strong><strong><sup>3</sup></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total Staff (FTE) - average over 12 months</strong></p></td><td><p>69,783</p></td><td><p>N/A.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>All Sickness (Headcount)</strong></p></td><td><p>38,989</p></td><td><p>600,051</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Of which Stress (Headcount)</strong></p></td><td><p>2,764</p></td><td><p>83,918</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Stress as % of total staff</strong></p></td><td><p>4%</p></td><td><p>N/A.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Stress as % of all sickness</strong></p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p><em>Notes</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>1 </sup></em></strong><em>This analysis covers MoJ and the Executive Agencies (including HMPPS and HMCTS).</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>2 </sup></em></strong><em>Absences are categorised according to International Classification of Diseases, which is an approach used across the civil service.</em></p><p><strong><em><sup>3</sup></em></strong><em>The cost to the Department is reflected in the total number of working days lost.</em></p><p> </p><p>The MoJ is committed to supporting the health and wellbeing of all its employees, and to reducing sickness absence levels including those which are stress-related. Staff can seek advice and support from our comprehensive occupational health service and employee assistance programme which offers 24/7 help.</p> answering member constituency Charnwood answering member printed Edward Argar question first answered 22/05/2019 16:38:48 answering member 4362 label Biography information for Edward Argar
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126555

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept id	201
answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
hansard heading	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many and what proportion of officials in his Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in his Department; and what the cost was to his Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254064
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The number of employees in the Department for Business, Energy &amp; Industrial Strategy (BEIS) during the calendar year of 2018 who were absent due to mental health reasons, including stress was 59, this represented 1.5% of the total workforce. The proportion of sickness absence related to mental health reasons, including stress, was 23% of the overall sickness absence for the department for the same time period.</p><p> </p><p>The estimated cost to the department over this period for employees taking sickness absence, is estimated at £1,421,738.30.</p><p> </p><p>BEIS is committed to supporting the wellbeing of its staff, including helping them to manage stress in the workplace, and has a Wellbeing Strategy that includes a specific focus on supporting good mental health in its employees. This strategy is based in part on the Civil Service Health and Wellbeing Strategy that also includes the promotion of good mental health for all as one of its five priorities. Through a programme of wellbeing events and speakers, a growing cohort of mental health first aiders, promotion and signposting of the employee assistance programme, and e-learning packages for staff on stress, resilience and wellbeing, the Department has seen continued awareness and engagement on wellbeing and good mental health.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Pendle answering member printed Andrew Stephenson question first answered 22/05/2019 16:20:29 answering member 4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake

1126573

registered interest
date	14/05/2019
answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
answering dept id	29
answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
hansard heading	Department for Work and Pensions: Sick Leave
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of officials in her Department took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months; what proportion that leave was of total sick leave taken in her Department; and what the cost was to her Department of officials taking sick leave over that period.
tabling member constituency	Carshalton and Wallington
tabling member printed	Tom Brake
uin	254082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/05/2019 answer text <p>The Department recognises its legal duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of our employees; this includes identifying and reducing workplace stressors. Our approach is a holistic one that utilises the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Management Standards for work related stress and follows key principles to help identify and reduce work place stressors.</p><p> </p><p>2,473 employees took sick leave for reasons relating to stress in the last 12 months which represents 3% of our paid staff. As a percentage, such absences equated to 10.7% of all Working Days Lost due to sickness absence. However, as the Department continues to pay salaries during sickness absence there is no direct financial cost.</p><p> </p><p>Our approach to absence is fair but robust with the emphasis on health promotion and absence prevention. The Department has a range of support from mental health toolkits, stress reduction plans plus tailored support for people who do go off sick or need support through our Employee Assistance Programme which includes counselling.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has 965 Mental Health First Aiders, who provide acute, short-term and structured support to individuals, provide reassurance and signpost colleagues to both DWP and external sources of support as appropriate. Mental Health First Aiders are also provided with continuous professional development and support for their own mental wellbeing.</p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 22/05/2019 16:17:12 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
tabling member	151 label Biography information for Tom Brake