Firefighters mental health sick leave (FOI)

Request

How many firefighters and staff have been signed off work because of mental health issues since 2015?

• How many were white?
• How many were black British?
• How many were British Pakistani?
• How many were British Bangladeshi?
  
• How many were British Indian?
• How many were British Nepalese?
• How many were British Filipino?
• How many were British Arab?
• How many were British Palestinian?
• How many were women?
• How many were aged under 35?
• How many were disabled?
• How many were LGBTQ+?
• How many were British Muslims?
• How many were white women?
• How many were black British women?
• How many were British Pakistani women?
• How many were British Bangladeshi women?
• How many were British Indian women?
• How many were British Nepalese women?
• How many were British Filipino women?
• How many were British Arab women?
• How many were British Palestinian women?
• How many were women aged under 35?
• How many were disabled women?
• How many were LGBTQ+ women?
• How many were British Muslim women?

Please provide annual data.

Response

The Government of Jersey does not currently hold the data, including the demographic information, as requested. Article 3 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 applies. Reliable data related to mental health absences within the Fire Service is only available from January 2022 onwards due to the previous processes for collating this information.  

Accessing the data requested for 2015 - 2021 from legacy systems would exceed the timescales prescribed by the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 Law. Article 16 of the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 has therefore been applied.  

As of 1st January 2022, to 31st October 2022 there have been less than five Jersey Fire and Rescue employees signed off due to mental health issues. Please note that this data includes the whole of the Fire and Rescue Service, including departmental support staff. Due to the small numbers involved, to provide a breakdown on demographic information would potentially identify individuals. Article 25 of the Freedom of Information Law (Jersey) 2011 has been applied.   

Data Source: Human Resources Analytics. A key word search was undertaken on all active employees from 1 January 2022 up to 31 October 2022 on the reasons for absence as follows: 'Anxiety/Stress', 'Depression' and 'Other Psych'.   

Articles applied

Article 3 - Meaning of “information held by a public authority”

For the purposes of this Law, information is held by a public authority if –

(a)     it is held by the authority, otherwise than on behalf of another person; or

(b)     it is held by another person on behalf of the authority.

Article 16 - A scheduled public authority may refuse to supply information if cost excessive

(1) A scheduled public authority that has been requested to supply information may refuse to supply the information if it estimates that the cost of doing so would exceed an amount determined in the manner prescribed by Regulations.  

Article 25 - Personal information

(1) Information is absolutely exempt information if it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005.

(2) Information is absolutely exempt information if –

(a) it constitutes personal data of which the applicant is not the data subject as defined in the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2005; and

(b) its supply to a member of the public would contravene any of the data protection principles, as defined in that Law.

3)      In determining for the purposes of this Article whether the lawfulness principle in Article 8(1)(a) of the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018 would be contravened by the disclosure of information, paragraph 5(1) of Schedule 2 to that Law (legitimate interests) is to be read as if sub-paragraph (b) (which disapplies the provision where the controller is a public authority) were omitted.