§ MR. PICKERSGILLasked the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, Whether a petition was received in August last from the Lower Division Clerks of the Inland Revenue Department praying for an extension of their present annual leave of twenty-one days to twenty-eight days after five years' approved service; 1531 whether the Lower Division Clerks in nearly all Public Offices are in the enjoyment of at least twenty-eight days' leave, and that even in the Inland Revenue Department a number of Officers of the Minor Establishments are already in the enjoyment of twenty-eight days' annual leave; whether the prayer of the petitioners has received the approval of the head of their Department; and, whether, in these circumstances, the Treasury will sanction the extension of leave prayed for?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Mr. H. H. FOWLER)The Petition of the Lower Division Clerks of the Inland Revenue Department was received in the Treasury in August last. Heads of Departments fix the amount of leave to be given to clerks of the Lower Division in their offices within a maximum of 28 days; but many important Departments, including the Treasury itself, allow less than 28 days. The Commissioners of Inland Revenue advocate a uniform rate of leave to clerks of the Lower Division. The persons in the minor establishments of the Inland Revenue Department, referred to in the Question as enjoying 28 days' leave, were appointed before the establishment of the Lower Division, and new appointees do not receive more leave than is granted to Lower Division Clerks. With regard to the last paragraph of the hon. Member's Question, I beg to state that, pending the decision of the general questions raised by the Lower Division Clerks, it would, in my opinion, be inexpedient to decide this particular question.