Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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Question 279: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of civil servants in his Department who have attended courses on stress management in the workplace between 2005 and 2007; if stress reduction procedures have been put in place arising from attendance at such courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10601/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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In the period 2005 to 2007 a total of 50 officers from my Department attended three lunchtime talks/courses on Stress Awareness/Managing Pressure at Work. Further such talks are planned for 2008. The purpose of the talks/courses is to raise awareness among employees of the effects of work place stress and to highlight ways of avoiding and managing it.

All members of staff at my Department are encouraged to achieve an appropriate and sustainable balance between their careers and life outside of the work environment. Work Life Balance Day, celebrated this year on Friday 29 February, provided a useful opportunity to remind employees of the many family friendly work life balance policies which are in operation across the Department. These include work-sharing, flexitime, term time, e-working and special leave for domestic circumstances.

My Department employs a full-time Employee Assistance Officer who is available to provide assistance and advice to all staff who are experiencing difficulty, either in work or in their personal lives. Staff are reminded on a regular basis of the existence of this service. In addition, a system is in place whereby the Employee Assistance Officer is alerted in cases where it has come to the attention of Human Resources Section that a staff member has been medically certified as suffering from stress, in particular work related stress.