Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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307. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if he will consider deferring the implementation of the new public sector sick leave regulations for a twelve month period on securing an agreement with public services management and trade union representatives to achieve current sick leave targets under existing arrangements by tackling habitual rather than genuinely ill sick leave recipients. [2904/14]

Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour)
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As the Deputy is aware, reformed sick leave arrangements for public service employees were the subject of a Labour Court Recommendation in July 2012 relating to the introduction of a single uniform Sick Leave Scheme.

The rationale for the introduction of these arrangements was the need to reduce the unsustainable cost of sick leave for the public service overall. This is to be achieved through the better management of sick leave as well as a substantial reduction in the period of time for which paid sick leave will be available.

Effective management of sick leave is a key element of the overall approach to reduce absenteeism in the public service. In this context new policies and procedures on attendance management have been introduced across the public service.  These policies promote best practice in the management of sick leave and include: monitoring patterns of sick leave; maintaining supportive contact with officers on sick leave; referral to the Occupational Health Specialist; and conducting sick leave reviews and return to work interviews. 

In addition to the better management of sick leave, and in order to realise significant savings, the access to paid sick leave must also be reduced in accordance with the Labour Court Recommendation.

In respect of the implementation date for the new sick leave scheme the public service employers, in their submission to the Labour Court, sought an implementation date of 2012 while the public service committee of ICTU sought an implementation date of 2016. The Court recommended 1 January 2014, subject to the necessary legislative provisions. This date has been deferred to allow for the regulations, to be made under the Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013, to be laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas for a period of 21 sitting days.

There is no requirement to defer the introduction of the new sick leave scheme any further given the lapse of time since the initial Labour Court Recommendation as well as the finalisation of arrangements for the introduction of a Critical Illness Protocol which will faciliate access to extended sick leave for public service employees in the case of illnesses or medical conditions of specified severity following a further Labour Court Recommendation issued in December 2013.