§ MR. CYRIL DODD (Essex, Maldon)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether the subordinate public officials on the staff at the Royal Courts of Justice, such as the Robing Room attendants and the like, are mulcted of their pay if away through illness for a week, whilst the higher officials at the Royal Courts of Justice receive their salaries even if away through illness for a year, or even longer; whether some arrangement could be made to prevent the loss to these minor officials of pay through illness not of a protracted character?
§ THE SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY (Sir JOHN HIBBERT,) OldhamThis is not a matter in which the Treasury has jurisdiction, but the Lord Chancellor has asked me to say that the rule (laid down by Statutory authority) as to the attendants at the Royal Courts of Justice is, that their absence from illness, without stoppage of pay, shall 1171 not exceed 14 days in the year; but in fact, if it is found possible to arrange for the work being carried on without paying for additional assistance, the stoppage of pay is frequently not enforced. There appears to be no Statutory authority on the subject as regards the clerks and other officers of the Supreme Court. There ought, no doubt, to be such authority, and a Bill has been introduced this Session to deal with it; but the Lord Chancellor is informed that there are not in fact such cases as the question suggests. The rule of the Civil Service is, that full pay ceases after six months' absence.