O'Keeffe can't vouch for own staff's absences
- Published: 24 November 2008
Source : Irish Independent
EDUCATION Minister Batt O'Keeffe does not know how many sick days his own staff are taking -- despite highlighting the level of absences by teachers.
Although almost all his ministerial colleagues provided figures for absences in their departments, Mr O'Keeffe said the figures would take "some time" to be compiled.
"The information sought ... is not readily available at my department," he said.
Mr O'Keeffe incurred the wrath of teachers' unions last week when he referred specifically to the high cost of substitute cover on Mondays and Fridays.
He presented detailed sick leave figures to the Oireachtas Education Committee to justify his decision to reduce substitute cover from January and require sick teachers to provide a medical cert before a substitute teacher is provided.
Mr O'Keeffe was first asked about the number of sick days taken in the Department of Education two weeks ago by Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton, and again last week by Labour TD Roisin Shortall. But on both occasions, he said the figures were being compiled.
A spokesman for Mr O'Keeffe said the figures would be available today.
The spokesman denied that Mr O'Keeffe had been attacking teachers by presenting statistics on their number of sick days, saying he was merely providing "information".
It comes in the wake of the news that the state spending watchdog, the Comptroller and Auditor General, has launched an investigation into civil service absenteeism due to concerns that some civil servants are "swinging the lead" or taking "duvet days".
But the Public Service Executive Union, which has many members in the civil service, said it still believed there was not a "huge problem" with absenteeism.
- Michael Brennan
