Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 469: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the number of uncertified sick days taken within all sections of his Department for the years 2007 and 2008 and to date in 2009; the number of employees who have taken uncertified sick days in the categories one to ten days and over ten days; the number of uncertified sick days taken Fridays and Mondays; the number of persistent offenders with regard to uncertified sick days who have been sent for an independent doctors opinion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15675/09]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I should first explain that, under Department of Finance rules, sick leave without medical certification may only be granted to civil servants for one or two-day absences in total and subject to not exceeding seven days in any twelve month period. If the number of days absence without medical certificate in any period of twelve months, reckoning backwards from the date of the latest absence, exceeds seven in the aggregate, the staff member will have annual leave or pay reduced accordingly. In no circumstances therefore is an individual permitted to have more than seven absences classified as uncertified sick leave in a twelve month period.

Uncertified (and certified) leave absences are recorded on the Department's Human Resources Management System which facilitates monitoring of such absences against sick leave limits and appropriate follow-up action such as warnings and disciplinary measures. While uncertified sick leave absences do not, by their nature, require medical certification, the reason for the absence is required to be given.

The identification of uncertified sick leave availed of on Mondays or Fridays is not possible in the time available. It should be further noted that an absence involving a Friday and the following Monday cannot be regarded as uncertified sick leave as the absence is counted as four days and must therefore be medically certified.

Individual instances of sick leave (uncertified or certified) are in certain situations referred to the Chief Medical Officer for the Civil Service, who is independent in the implementation of his functions. Repeated short term absences, particularly those of an uncertified nature, would usually be dealt with through internal management procedures in the first instance.

A breakdown of the number of actual uncertified sick leave days taken in the years 2007, 2008 and up to 20 April 2009 is set out in the following table, along with the average number of uncertified sick leave days taken per employee.

*Figures are up to 20th April 2009.