AQW 19791/22-27
Mr Doug Beattie MC
Ulster Unionist Party
Upper Bann
Tabled Date: 12/12/2024
Answered On Date: 02/01/2025
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Finance to detail (i) how many of those from the Northern Ireland Civil Service have had an excusal of sick absence in the last three years; and (ii) the percentage of those from the Northern Ireland Prison Service who have been granted an excusal over that same period.
Answer:
The NICS policy on ‘Injuries, Diseases and Assaults’ gives provision for excusal of sick pay for periods of absence due to industrial injuries and diseases, including stress/psychological illnesses. This provides an extension of sick pay of up to six months where the qualifying conditions of the Civil Service Injury Benefit Scheme are met. This is known as a Temporary Injury Award. In addition, the policy permits periods of absence due to injury or assault to be excused from reckoning against the maximum periods of paid absence. Details of all excusals are in the table below. The time periods are based on the date the extension of pay was effective. Year | NICS Temporary Injury Award (TIA) cases | Percentage of cases in NIPS | NICS Injury/ Assault cases | Percentage of cases in NIPS | 2021/22 | 42 | 27% | 37 | 100% | 2022/23 | 33 | 38% | 76 | 100% | 2023/24 | 35 | 30% | 75 | 100% | Total | 110 | 31% | 188 | 100% |
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