§ MR. CLAUDE HAY (Shoreditch, Hoxton)To ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he will explain on 1296 what grounds the Treasury has refused to accede to the recommendation of the Board of Customs that the annual leave of their assistant clerks engaged upon checking duties should be increased to eighteen days, seeing that in the majority of Government offices assistant clerks are given either eighteen or twenty-one days.
(Answered by Mr. Elliot.) I must refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his Question of 23rd July last year† by my predecessor in office, which answer was in the following words—"The annual leave of assistant clerks has been fixed at a maximum of fourteen working days, exclusive of bank holidays and the King's birthday, for the Treasury and its subordinate Departments. There is no general Order in Council regulating their leave, but in the opinion of the Treasury it would be highly desirable that other Departments of Government should adopt this scale." I have nothing to add to this answer.