§ MR. SHEEHAN (Cork County, Mid)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether he is aware that a regular weekly Saturday half-holiday is granted in many large Government departments to the members of the clerical staffs; is this privilege granted at the discretion of the heads of these departments; whether it is within the discretion of the head of any Government department to extend this privilege to the members of his staff, provided that the state of public business permits; and, if so, will he take steps to have the heads of those departments in which the privilege is restricted to alternate Saturdays made aware of the extent of their discretion in the matter.
§ MR. RUNCIMANNo sanction has been given by the Treasury for a regular weekly half-holiday. But the circumstances of particular offices and of individual cases vary so much that I cannot make any general statement as to the conditions under which half-holidays are or may be granted.
§ MR. G. A. HARDY (Suffolk, Stowmarket)I beg to ask the Secretary to the Treasury whether, in all offices of the Civil Service, clerks who are required to work overtime must, in order to obtain full payments, forego the usual Saturday half-holiday; whether there are any exceptions to this rule, and, if so, what are the grounds on which such exceptions are made.
§ MR. RUNCIMANBy the terms of the Orders in Council regulating the Civil Service a half-holiday on alternate Saturdays can only be granted if the state of public business permits. If the state of public business is such as to require the clerks to work overtime, it is clear that this condition is not fulfilled.