Civil service absence is static - Two years ago, government departments and other areas of the public sector were set challenging targets to cut sickness absence. The latest review of civil service sickness absence conducted for the Cabinet Office suggests some departments have made progress towards the 30% cut in absence required by 2003, while others still have a long way to go . We take a look at progress to date and examine what new service-defivery agreements produced by every department and agency last autumn have to say about absence targets for the next two years.