Dr. MORGANasked the Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies what are the conditions governing the granting of leave in the Colonial Medical Service; are the conditions fairly uniform in the different Crown Colonies; on what conditions is leave declined; what safeguards are in existence to prevent penalisation of any medical officer through refusal of leave; is there a right of appeal for local refusal; and whether any Regulations govern the question of study leave?
§ Dr. SHIELSThe conditions governing the grant of leave to officers of the Colonial Medical Service are the same as42W those governing the grant of leave to other Colonial Government officials, and are set out in the Colonial Regulations which are reproduced in the Dominions Office and Colonial Office List, a copy of which is in the Library of this House. The conditions vary considerably in the different Colonies, the main ground of variation being differences of climate. The grant of leave is in all cases at the discretion of the Governor of the Colony concerned, and dependent on the exigencies of the Service, but an officer would only be refused leave for which he was eligible under the Regulations on grounds of the public interest. Medical officers, like other officers, have the right of appeal to the Secretary of State if they are dissatisfied with the decision of the Governor. Special Regulations are in force with regard to study leave for medical officers in various Colonies, but they are too long to be set forth here.