David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish to be clear. I am not saying anything is wrong with the public servants who claim sick leave. I am just looking at the variations. The Chairman made the point that the number for the Prison Service is high for very obvious reasons. That highlights the need to look at the environment in which these people work. These are public servants who deserve our support and protection. The sick leave is high in some areas, with the Prison Service being one. In others it is less obvious why the number is high. We need to get an understanding of it. Are there problems in Revenue and the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection that we should know about?