§ 38. Mr. CHARLES DUNCANasked the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is the practice to grant a Saturday half-holiday to the women clerks in the National Health Insurance Commission (England); 1651 and, if so, whether when employed upon overtime they are required either to forego the half-holiday or to sacrifice the pay for the first three hours of any overtime they may work; and whether the women clerks who were transferred from the Post Office (where they received payment at the usual overtime rates for all work done on Saturday afternoons) to the National Health Insurance (England) were so transferred on the understanding that the conditions of their employment would remain unaltered; and, if so, will he take steps to ensure that all overtime Saturday afternoon work done by these clerks shall be paid for?
§ Mr. MASTERMANIn regard to the first part of the question, the arrangements for Saturday half-holidays in the Insurance Commission are governed by the Order in Council which allows alternate Saturday afternoons subject only to the requirements of public business. As regards the second part, the ordinary arrangements apply, under which six full working days a week must have been completed before any question of overtime (i.e., work in excess of the complement of such working days) can arise. The reply to the third part is that transfers to these (as in all other) cases are made subject to the conditions of overtime prevailing in the Department to which the officer is transferred. The fourth part of the question accordingly does not arise. The question of allowing a Saturday afternoon each week instead of alternate Saturdays in Government Departments is under consideration.