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Sick Leave: Respiratory Diseases

Asked by Jim ShannonDemocratic Unionist PartyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled Answered 29 April 2025UIN 46719

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of how many people have been absent from work because of long term sickness due to respiratory illness over the last 12 months.

Answered by Alison McGovern

The estimated number of people aged 16 to 64 in the UK who had a long-term (4 weeks or more) sickness absence from work due to respiratory illness, e.g. asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease [COPD], bronchitis or pneumonia, between January and December 2024 (the latest data available) was 60,000. This represents around 4% of people who had a long-term sickness absence.

Source: Annual Population Survey (APS) - unpublished

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