The number of Department of Children and Integration staff out of work on sick leave tripled over the course of last year, as officials grappled with pressures accommodating large numbers of Ukrainian refugees and other asylum seekers.
The number of staff out sick increased from 24 civil servants at the start of last year to 72 on sick leave in December, according to new figures.
The department has been under major pressure to source accommodation for tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have fled the war with Russia, as well as record numbers of asylum seekers from other countries.
Sources in the NGO and private sector dealing with the department on efforts to source accommodation for Ukrainians and other asylum seekers have privately expressed concern over the workload facing civil servants.
The number of staff in the department out sick steadily increased over the course of last year, while the overall numbers working in the department also increased.
There were 35 staff on sick leave in May, which dropped to 20 in June, while 23 were on leave in July and 33 in August. The number of staff out of work on sick leave increased to 38 in September and again to 52 in October.
The number of department staff on sick leave reached its highest point in December with 72 civil servants out of work. The number then dropped to 49 out sick last month.
The figures were released by the department in response to a parliamentary question from Aontú TD Peadar Tóibín.
In 2021 the highest number of staff on sick leave at one point was in November, when 39 employees were off work.
Mr Tóibín said numbers out sick from work indicated high levels of stress and “signs of dysfunction within the workplace”.
The Meath West TD said the department was in “the eye of a number of storms” between the increase in refugee and asylum seekers, as well as controversy over a redress scheme for those in mother and baby homes.
Mr Tóibín said he believed the department did not have the resources required to deal with the major issues it was facing.
A spokeswoman for the department said the number of staff employed has increased from 375 in 2020 to more than 600 currently.
“It is important to note that a variety of factors can influence trends in sick leave,” she said. Support was provided to staff who experienced ill health as required, the spokeswoman added.
