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1 Sep 2008 : Column 1461W—continued


Departmental Public Participation

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) reviews and (b) public consultations have been initiated by his Department since 27 June 2007. [221377]

Derek Twigg: Information on the number of reviews and public consultations conducted by MOD is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Sick Leave

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility have taken sick days due to mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of staff of each body this represented in each year; and if he will make a statement; [216090]

(2) what the average duration of single periods of sick leave taken by staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility who gave mental health and behavioural disorders as the reason for their absence was in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement; [216093]

(3) how many sick days were taken by employees in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility due to mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what proportion of sick days taken this represented in each case; and if he will make a statement. [216105]

Derek Twigg: The Department reports absences listed for mental health and behavioural disorders against the standard ICD 10 Code—Mental and Behavioural Disorders (PSD).

Data for staff in the Ministry of Defence are listed in the following table.


1 Sep 2008 : Column 1462W
Sick days recorded against ICD 10: Mental Health and Behavioural Disorders (PSD)
Personnel Total working days lost
12 months ending Number Percentage Average days duration Number Percentage

31 December 2005

3,920

5.0

22.1

134,670

18.3

31 December 2006

3,980

5.3

21.9

128,030

19.4

31 December 2007

3,830

5.4

22.5

124,950

19.9

31 March 2008

3,770

5.4

22.4

122,440

20.4

Notes:
1. Data exclude staff in Trading Funds, the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, and Locally Engaged Civilians for whom sickness absence data are not readily available.
2. Data presented reflect the current Cabinet Office definition, setting a maximum absence of 225 days per person in any one year, and exclude absence days that occurred on weekends, annual leave and bank holidays.
3. Totals have been rounded to the nearest 10, totals and sub totals have been rounded separately and so may not equal the sums of their rounded parts.
4. The percentage of working days lost is calculated as a percentage of the total working days lost due to sickness absence.

Information prior to calendar year 2005 is compiled on a previous definition for monitoring sickness absence which is not consistent with figures for calendar year 2005 onwards.

Data for the Ministry of Defence’s agencies and non-departmental bodies are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Mental health and behavioural disorders such as anxiety and depression are often stress-related and MOD classifies all such absences under the same code. MOD is committed to protecting the health, safety and well-being of its employees and has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work.

A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive’s management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work. Online health promotion material on stress avoidance techniques is also available.

It is also MOD policy to seek the early advice of occupational health professionals in cases of sick absence due to stress-related illnesses.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in his Department have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the last five years. [218965]

Derek Twigg: The number of MOD civilian personnel who have had five or more periods of sickness absence of less than five days in two or more of the calendar years 2005, 2006 and 2007, was 2,620 (rounded to the nearest 10).

Information prior to calendar year 2005 is compiled on a previous definition for monitoring sickness absence which is not consistent with figures for calendar year 2005 onwards.

MOD is totally committed to the effective management of sickness absence and consistently performs well in this area. This is achieved by a combination of methods including the setting and monitoring of absence reduction targets for business units and actively involving line managers in the process. Early referral of persistent absentees for occupational health advice is also encouraged as early referrals usually result in an earlier return to regular attendance.


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Departmental Sick Pay

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility have received sick pay for sick leave due to mental health and behavioural disorders in each of the last 10 years; what the average length of time was for which sick pay was paid in these cases; and if he will make a statement. [216092]

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much was paid in sick pay to staff in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) the non-departmental bodies for which it has responsibility in each of the last five years; what proportion of the staffing expenditure of each body this represented in each year; and if he will make a statement. [216106]

Derek Twigg: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Fuels

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2008, Official Report, column 1492W, on fuels, (1) what percentage of the £80 million was paid for from the Treasury Reserve; [204557]

(2) how much his Department spent on fuel in each year from 2005-06 to 2007-08, broken down by type of fuel; [204558]

(3) what estimate his Department has made of the effect on the cost of British military operations abroad of each US $1 increase in the price of oil. [210640]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We are currently collating the necessary information. I will write to the hon. Member once this process is complete.

Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Liam Fox:


1 Sep 2008 : Column 1464W
£ million

2005-06 2006-07 2007-08

Aviation fuel(1)

255

265

270

Fuels (non-utility)(2)

200

255

305

Total

455

520

575

(1) For 2005-06 and 2006-07, some aviation fuel expenditure was accounted for in the stock consumption line of the published departmental resource accounts for those years.
(2) Defined as petroleum-based liquid fuels meeting internationally recognised specifications that are used to power ships and vehicles.

General Staff Briefing Team

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the Chief of the General Staff Briefing Team report of July 2008. [220661]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 6 May 2008, Official Report, columns 832-33W. A copy of the most recently published report, for the second half of 2007, is available in the Library of the House. The next report is not expected to be finalised until later in the year for publication in early 2009.

Government Communications

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) its agencies (i) are classified as Government communicators and (ii) have access to the Government Communication Network. [215103]

Derek Twigg: As at 30 June 2008 there were 115 staff working in communications roles directly employed by the Department's Media and Communications Directorate.

The Department does not retain central lists of communicators employed across the wider Department and its agencies.

Additionally, other civil servants may have communication as a core part of their role as good communication is integral to supporting the Department.


1 Sep 2008 : Column 1465W

The GCN is open to all civilian and military staff in the Department performing communications work to register. As at 1 May 2008, the total number who has self-registered to the GCN in MOD was approximately 270.

HMS Ontario

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Government has ownership of the wreck of HMS Ontario; and if he will make a statement. [212600]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I will write to my hon. Friend.

Substantive answer from Bob Ainsworth to Gordon Prentice:

HMS Superb

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future deployment of HMS Superb. [220473]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: HMS Superb will be conducting a series of tests and trials prior to her planned Decommissioning date in October 2008.


1 Sep 2008 : Column 1466W

Horsea Island Dive Centre

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the Horsea Island diving facilities have been closed to the public; whether they will be re-opened to the public; and if he will make a statement. [220136]

Derek Twigg: The decision to close the Horsea Island facility to regular commercial use is the result of an increased training requirement for both Army and Royal Navy personnel, and a security review of the site which concluded that an armed security presence was required. Organised commercial diving activity is therefore no longer compatible with the operational and security arrangements required at this site.


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