The Chief Local Government Auditor reports on absenteeism based on data requested from the 26 councils on an annual basis. The data is analysed over a three year period to counter the impact of annual fluctuations in absenteeism which could distort findings particularly within smaller councils. In 2009-10, Northern Ireland councils employed over 9,800 staff at a cost of £299 million. Staff costs account for 42% of the councils' expenditure. The report sets out a number of main findings and recommendations, including: Northern Ireland councils as a whole lost almost 122,000 days to absenteeism in 2009-10, an increase of around 700 days compared to 2008-09; there is a resultant absenteeism rate of 12.39 days for each full time equivalent employee which reflects a marginal reduction of 0.04 days. This absenteeism rate for all Northern Ireland councils is now lower than any annual rate recorded this decade with a reduction of 16%. Stress, depression, mental health and fatigue remains the largest cause of days lost due to absenteeism, responsible for 22% of days lost in 2009-10, down 1% from 2008-09. As in previous reports, the NIAO recommends that councils with high and rising absenteeism rates should review their own management practices and benchmark these against those councils with low and falling absenteeism rates. In general there was an improvement in the quality of absenteeism data presented by the councils.

The Stationery Office annual catalogue 2011 provides a comprehensive source of bibliographic information on over 4900 Parliamentary, statutory and official publications - from the UK Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly, and many government departments and agencies - which were issued in 2011.

This book expands the current 'weapon of war' discourse on sexual violence, highlighting a wider spectrum of conflict-related violence against women.

Ownership of multiple homes has become increasingly popular throughout the Western world, with the UK and Ireland seeing a particular surge in recent years. Paris addresses the reasons why, and the effects, using case studies from Europe, Australia, America and Asia.

In a unique contribution to understanding the interaction of language policy and planning in modern conflict resolution, Janet Muller provides an insider account of the search for improved status for the Irish language in Northern Ireland from the 1980s.