Prison Service - Sick leave at shockingly high levels

THE troubled prison service has once again come under the spotlight: yesterday, it was the issue of sick leave, which is now at a very worrying level.

With prison staff already in dispute with Justice Minister Michael McDowell over his proposals on overtime, the amount of sick leave taken by the same staff came under the scrutiny of the Dáil Public Accounts Committee.

The issue of sick leave like the issue of overtime has been a contentious one for quite some time, and Minister McDowell's predecessor, John O'Donoghue, also attempted to tackle it.