Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 152: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her policy regarding staff who donate blood during normal working hours; if staff are required to clock out when giving blood; the measures that are in place to encourage staff to donate blood; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8519/10]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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My Department encourages and supports staff wishing to make blood donations. Staff donating blood usually do so through group donations, which involve a staff member volunteering to act as liaison with the Blood Transfusion Service to display promotional material and arrange transport to donor clinics. Any time loss incurred by individuals in the arranging or donating of blood may be claimed as a time credit. The Department's Personnel Branch is available to advise managers on any issues concerning the facilitation of blood donation. In addition, one of the Departmental staff publications published an article from the Blood Transfusion Service last August with information on becoming a platelets donor. Group donations in my Department are on-going and in 2009 I understand that there were 8 such donations from 3 of the offices in Dublin alone, which resulted in 46 donations.