A woman who worked in the Department of Agriculture in Dublin lay dead at the Kildare Street headquarters for two days, it has emerged.
The Department issued a statement today confirming the employee's death on the premises after a newspaper reported it this morning.
She was last seen leaving her desk at Agriculture House on Friday, August 31st, and was found by gardaí the following Sunday after a weekend search. The department denied that the woman's body went undiscovered in a closet for four days.
The Irish Sunsaid she was 34 years old. It reported co-workers complaining about the failure to discover the woman's body.
The paper also quoted them saying officials at the department had done nothing to preserve the woman's memory and that only those who worked closely with her were offered counselling.
The department denied the claim and said counselling was provided and a prayer service was held at the department.
"Given the sensitive nature of the matter of the death of a dear colleague, the department was at all times concerned to act in a manner respectful of the feelings of her family and work colleagues", the statement said.
"The department was in close contact with the family at all stages, and department personnel also played a part in the removal service and the funeral mass."
The Minister for Agriculture, Mary Coughlan, and three ministers of state at the department attended the service, it added. The department also denied the woman worked directly for Ms Coughlan.