Written question asked by Lord Laird (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Thursday, 30 November 2006.

Civil Service: Northern Ireland Sick Leave

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether members of the Northern Ireland Civil Service are entitled to annual sick leave without a doctor's certificate; if so, how much sick leave they are entitled to; and what are the reasons for this entitlement.

Answer: Within the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) terms and conditions, there is no entitlement to annual sick leave. Under a Cabinet Office Review, doctors are not required to provide a sickness absence certificate for an absence of less than eight calendar days. Therefore to comply with this, the NICS terms and conditions make provision for absences of up to seven calendar days to be self-certified by staff. While there is no maximum limit as such on the total number of self-certified days, all sickness absence levels are closely monitored. Where departments believe that the facility is being abused, or used excessively, there is discretion to withdraw it. In the event of any future absences, staff would be required to provide at their own expense a doctor's statement as evidence of incapacity.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 145; 687 c70WA
Session: 2006-07
Subjects: Conditions of employment Civil servants Certification Doctors Northern Ireland Sick leave
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk