asked the Minister for the Environment the number of persons from his Department who are currently on (a) paid educational leave and (b) unpaid educational leave; the nature of the educational courses being pursued and the cost to the State in monetary terms and in services lost by such absences; and the average number of such absences and average cost to the State for the year 1984.
Written Answers. - Educational Leave.
420.
There is no officer from my Department on paid educational leave at present.
There are five officers on unpaid educational leave, of whom four are pursuing third level courses leading to degrees in arts, engineering and law and one is pursuing a course in personal development. Three of the officers have been replaced and two of the vacancies are embargoed under the restrictions on the filling of vacancies in the Civil Service. There is no cost to the State in monetary terms.
As regards 1984, there were three officers on paid educational leave during part of 1984. The cost to the State was approximately £10,000. On 1 January 1984 there were ten officers on unpaid educational leave, and there was no monetary cost involved.