Submission from Dr Chris Pond OBE and
Miss Anne Foster
ATTENDANCE DURING
RECESSES
We were pleased to have the opportunity of giving
evidence to the Committee on 20 October. During our evidence,
we were asked by Sir Nicholas Winterton MP about requirements
for our members' attendance during recesses. Our reply was that
these details should properly be sought from Management, as only
they had the exact information. We said, however, we would let
the clerk to the Committee have an overview of what we knew.
Following is the information:
In the Library, Finance & Administration,
and Refreshment Departments, staff are on standard fixed leave
allowances (with a very few in the Department of the Library possessing
retained rights to a proportional system). We have in recent years
successfully pursued a campaign to bring Refreshment Department
leave allowances up to the same level as the rest of the Service.
In the Department of the Official Report, we
understand staff do not generally attend a significant amount
in recesses, because there is no Report to be produced.
In the Department of the Serjeant, there are
some (such as long-serving Doorkeepers, as mentioned during questioning)
on retained rights who do not attend in recesses, but most staff
are on standard fixed leave allowances. It may be worth noting
that there are some, in the Works Service, who are not permitted
to take significant amounts of leave in the long recess, because
that is the period of their maximum activity.
In the Department of the Clerk, all staff do
some recess duty, but this varies in length according to the requirements
of the particular job. Staff are not allowed to take any leave
in sitting periods, and Committee Office colleagues find it very
difficult to take any during the Conference Recess. If the Committee
need exact details, we suggest approaching the Clerk's Department
Establishment Officer.
We hope this will help the Committee. If we
can be of further assistance in any area of the Committee's work,
please let us know
October 2004
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