438. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht if he will provide in tabular form the number of staff in his Department currently on a sabbatical or career break, broken down by timeframe, that is, zero to six months, six to 12 months, one to two years, two to three years, four to five years, and five years plus; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29079/14]

There are currently 9 staff in my Department on Career Break. The details requested by the Deputy are set out in tabular form.

As the Deputy will be aware, staff can also avail of unpaid leave under the Shorter Working Year Scheme for periods of between 2 and 13 weeks. As it currently stands, 45 staff in my Department are availing of this scheme during 2014.