Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2003

Vol. 560 No. 1

Written Answers. - Departmental Staff.

Seán Crowe

Ceist:

260 Mr. Crowe asked the Minister for Finance the regulations regarding Office of Public Works employees returning to work after illnesses; if there are circumstances in which Office of Public Works employees are subject to medical examination; the nature of these circumstances; and the situations and the manner in which they are applied. [27042/02]

Minister of State at the Department of Finance (Mr. Parlon)

General regulations in regard to sick leave are set out in a number of Department of Finance circulars; Circulars 25/78 and 7/78 are particularly relevant. Certain provisions, in particular those relating to retirement on ill health grounds, also exist within section 9 of the Civil Service Regulation Act, 1956. Other issues relating to sick leave may arise consequent on various social welfare legislation and regulations.

The general position is that staff who are absent from work through sickness are required, if their illness persists for more than two working days, to produce a medical certificate. Staff returning from sick leave are expected to report for duty on the third day or at the expiry date of their medical certificate(s). Staff are expected to resume duty promptly on their return to full health – they may not, for example, take annual leave immediately following a period of sick leave.

Sometimes, a medical examination may be sought for other reasons. Staff may, for example, be asked to attend the chief medical officer in order to obtain a second opinion as to the nature of their incapacity, to ascertain the cause of per sistent sick leave or to fulfil the requirements of the regulations relating to retirement on ill health grounds. In particular cases where staff pay A1 PRSI contributions, certain social welfare regulations may also require medical certification for payment of benefits.

In some cases, staff may be asked to attend for medical examination in order to certify their fitness, or not, to resume work. This situation may arise if, for example, the officer concerned has been absent for a protracted period and if it is judged that there is a legitimate cause for affirming their fitness to resume duty; for example in order to satisfy management that there is no risk on health and safety grounds to either the officer involved or their work colleagues, following resumption.

As can be seen from this reply, the circumstances where a professional medical input may be required are potentially diverse. If the Deputy has a particular issue in mind, he may like to contact me directly and I will attempt to secure more precise information.