A survey published today has revealed the total level of sick pay has cost the Irish taxpayer up to €64 million.

The survey conducted by the Comptroller & Auditor General showed that sick leave taken by the country's 36,200 civil servants came to an average of 11 days lost due to illness per year.

The report by the Comptroller & Auditor General, John Buckley, found 345,105 working days were lost due to sickness in 2007 and that almost 10% of all sick days taken by State employees are uncertified.

The study by the State’s public spending watchdog found absenteeism rates have risen by 50% since the issue was last surveyed during the 1980s.

A spokesman for the department said: "To date, Civil Service departments have not been proactive in investigating the underlying factors that prevent people from coming to work. Only three departments have attempted to identify such underlying factors.

"Those that did, identified issues such as the nature of the work and the working environment, bullying and harassment, family problems including child minding issues and commuting."

Labour's spokesperson on Social and Family Affairs, Roisin Shortall, responded to the figures saying the report highlighted the urgent need for a concerted effort to sort out the problem.

"While the figures are broadly in line with large private sector organisations, this should not mean that we can stick our head in the sand on this matter," the Labour spokesperson said.

Ms Shortall added: "There is clear scope for improving productivity in the Civil Service. Obviously, workers must be able to take leave where they are ill or injured but the record of some Departments is simply unacceptable."

(DW/BMcC)