Dear Editor,

Staff in the Department of Education were very surprised to hear that they were permitted to leave the office from noon on the Thursday before Christmas as suggested in the Staffroom column in last week's issue.

Indeed, I was very surprised to hear it myself as I has worked that Thursday as normal!

Contrary to the impression conveyed, however, on checking the position, I discovered that fortunately I was not the only person working in the Department on the Thursday before Christmas.

I can confirm that this Department's offices were open for business on the Thursday and Friday before Christmas and reopened on January 28th. Staff could, of course, have been off from noon on Thursday but would have had to use their annual leave to do so. Yours,

Communications Unit,

Department of Education.