§ MR. MACDONALD (Town Hamlets, Bow)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether various appointments have recently been made to the posts of assistant clerks and abstractors in the Civil Service under an Order in Council of 4th June, 1870; whether all persons appointed under that Order in Council have hitherto been held to be entitled in the event of sickness (unless the contrary was duly stated in the terms of their appointment) to full pay for a continuous period of absence not exceeding six months in any one year; and, if so, under what Order in Council or other authority certain Public Departments have in some cases entirely suspended payment of, and in others made deductions from, the salaries of assistant clerks or abstractors after periods of absence on account of sickness varying from four to six weeks; and, in the event of any fresh regulations governing sick leave in Public Departments having been issued, whether he 1162 will inform the House of the date of such Regulations?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir J. T. HIBBERT, Oldham)My hon. Friend's first paragraph is correct, but as regards the other matters he is under a misapprehension. The Order in Council of June 4, 1870, lays down no rule as to sick leave. Rules for the higher grades of the Service and for the Second Division are laid down by the Orders in Council of August 15 and March.21, 1890, respectively. The conditions of employment as abstractor or assistant clerk are not laid down by Order in Council, but by Treasury authority, and within the limit of six weeks laid down by the Treasury Heads of Departments have absolute discretion in allowing sick leave to such persons. I am hot aware of any intention to issue new Rules on the subject.