§ MR. SLOAN (Belfast, S.)To ask the Postmaster-General whether he will state the date upon which he received the appeal of a telegraphist, named Fox, at Portadown, against the infliction of a punishment, and the date upon which the officer was compelled to perform the punishment; and whether it is the rule in the Postal Department that an officer being punished for a breach of regulations, and appealing to the Postmaster-General for a reconsideration, should be compelled by the local officials to perform the punishment before the Postmaster-General's decision is received.
1110 (Answered by Lord Stanley.) The appeal has not yet been submitted to me. I am informed that certain inquiries were necessary before the case could be presented to me in a complete form for my decision. Mr. Fox performed two hours extra duty without pay, the punishment in question, on February 28th, the day on which he appealed. He raised no objection to the carrying out of the punishment before his appeal was considered; and it is evident that if my decision should be in his favour the punishment can be cancelled by the deletion of the record and payment for the extra duty at overtime rate.