REQUEST: 1
Section 10 – Sickness Scheme
Section 10.3
I am only requesting information pertinent to the following clause, contained within Section 10.3 of ‘The Green Book’:
‘Authorities shall have discretion to extend the period of sick pay in exceptional cases.’
Please confirm ‘ Between 01 January 2010 to 31 August 2017:
a. The total number of employees who were afforded this privilege;
b. The total duration of the ‘Extension of Sick Pay’:
i. In Days; for each employee that was afforded an extension to sick pay in exceptional circumstances ;
c. The medical reason listed for the absence which warranted the Local Authority to use their discretion and thus ‘extend the period of sick pay in exceptional cases.’
We can confirm that there have been 173 absences that have required an adjustment of pay.
To provide further information would require an individual review of each file which that would take 15-20 minutes to investigate each one. The time therefore would be at least 43 hours and is therefore beyond the appropriate limit of 18 hours. We are therefore not obliged to provide this information pursuant to s.12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
By way of advice and assistance, if you were to limit your request to a significantly reduced time period, this may well assist us in being able to provide the information.
REQUEST: 2
Section 10 – Sickness Scheme
Section 10.9 states:
‘An employee who is prevented from attending work because of contact with infectious disease shall be entitled to receive normal pay. The period of absence on this account shall not be reckoned against the employee’s entitlements under this scheme.’
Please confirm ‘ Between 01 January 2010 to 31 August 2017:
a. The total number of employees who were afforded this privilege;
b. The total duration of the ‘Period of absence’:
i. In Days ; for each employee that was off work as a result of Section 10.9;
c. The medical reason listed for the absence which warranted the Local Authority to exercise Clause 10.9 of ‘The Green Book’;
d. Whether the employee(s) was ‘infected’ throughout the total paid sick period paid per Clause 10.9;
e. Whether the employee(s) was also off and paid per Clause 10.9, due to additional sequela and symptoms that were directly attributable to the initial infectious disease.
The total number of employees who were afforded this privilege is very low and therefore if the details, including the medical reason, were to be disclosed, it would create a significant risk of identifying the individual or individuals concerned.
This would then amount to a disclosure of their sensitive personal data, contrary to the first data protection principle.
This information is therefore exempt from disclosure pursuant to s.40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.