Prosecution staff sick days soar

Growing workload and complex cases blamed for rising absences

THE number of sick days taken by staff in Scotland’s prosecution service have soared by one-fifth in three years with absence rates higher than in other public bodies.

New figures show that staff at the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) took more than 16,000 days off sick last year.

The number was down from 16,210 in 2014/15, but still up on 2013/14 when 13,326 absences were noted.

According to statistics obtained by the Scottish Tories under a Freedom of Information request, COPFS workers take an average of about 10 days off a year, higher than the average 7.2-day figure across the civil service.

It comes amid a growing workload and more complex cases leading Holyrood’s Justice Committee to hold an inquiry into the role of the service.

The previous justice committee raised concerns over pressures facing COPFS, including a rise in the number of complex cases.

Tory spokesman Oliver Mundell said: “These figures send a worrying signal that some fiscals are at breaking point and, while not all of these absences will be directly work-related, many of them are.

“The Scottish Government continues to make legislative changes without giving sufficient thought to the service and people that will need to implement them.

“We also know that more and more people are coming forward to report sexual and domestic abuse.

“These are often highly complex cases requiring days of preparation. It is therefore vital that there are adequate resources in place to ensure victims aren’t let down.

“No-one doubts the dedication of fiscals, but they’re working with less and expected to achieve more. That will impact on the service the public rightly expects.”

The statistics include a small number of staff with long-term serious health issues, while the vast majority of the absences are not linked to work-related stress, according to COPFS officials. A report from Audit Scotland published last year revealed how the sheriff court system was coming under increasing pressure with more cases going to trial and taking longer to conclude.

Between 2010/11 and 2014/15, the average length of time that a case took to complete increased from 19 to 22 weeks.

Over the same period 10 sheriff courts have been closed and the overall budget of the Crown Office and COPFS has been reduced by the Scottish Government.

Last year 35 per cent of cases breached this limit and Audit Scotland estimated that “almost half of summary cases did not proceed as planned in sheriff courts in 2014/15”.

The public spending watchdog added: “We estimate the cost of cases repeating stages unnecessarily could have been as much as £10 million in 2014/15.”

A Crown Office spokesman said: “Staff welfare is of the utmost importance and support systems are in place to help staff.

“The average number of days lost per employee is decreasing but we will continue to work with trade unions and staff groups to address any issues identified.”