Double Gin

Virginia Bottomley’s departure from the Department of Health
seems to have been quite timely, as staff there are literally
sick.

In keeping with the effect Mrs Bottomley had on the nation’s
health, her former staff have the worst sickness record of any
civil servants in Whitehall.

Over the last year the number of days lost through illness in
the DoH was 6.2 per cent, double the national average. Let’s hope
she doesn’t have an equivalent effect on the staff at the National
Heritage – they might have even less chance of distributing
National Lottery funds equitably.