§ Lord Lairdasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will list the bank, privilege,common law and public holidays enjoyed by civil servants in each of the four countries of the UnitedKingdom. [HL4935]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonBank and public holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are the responsibility of the Department of Trade and Industry. Dates for Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Executive.
The UK Civil Service observes eight public and two and a half privilege holidays.
The public holidays are:
- New Year's Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- May Day Bank Holiday
- Late May Bank Holiday
- Late Summer Bank Holiday
- Christmas Day
- Boxing Day
Good Friday and Christmas Day are common law public holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. All other holidays are bank holidays. In Scotland (and to some extent Northern Ireland) a general holiday is not necessarily observed on the same day as the bank holiday.
The privilege holidays are:
- Maundy Thursday afternoon
- The Queen's birthday
- An additional day at Christmas
The Queen's birthday must be observed on either the Friday preceding or the Tuesday after the late May bank holiday.