officer has few financial commitments and is held in custody;
or on the other, where withholding half pay would plainly lead
to grave hardship) it may be appropriate to withhold more or
less as the case may be. Complete forfeiture of pay will
result in the period of suspension not being reckonable for superannuation purposes, with the result that the officer's
entitlement to personal, widow's and family benefits will be
smaller.
11. In considering these cases, departments should note that a
suspended officer may claim unemployment benefits (though his entitlement will depend upon the particular circumstances).
He may also be eligible for, or receiving, other National Insurance
benefits or supplementary benefit. Any remuneration he receives
from these or other sources should be taken into consideration
when determining whether hardship exists and in deciding the
extent to which pay is withheld. If an officer is convicted and
it has become apparent that he is unlikely to remain in the
Civil Service, or if the department decides to dismiss him,
there will generally be a strong presumption that any money
still being paid should be withheld. Money paid to an officer
during suspension cannot be subsequently recovered.
OFFENCES WHICH MAY LEAD TO CRIMINAL PROCEEDINGS
12. This paragraph does not relate to incidents which may
technically be criminal offences but which it is decided will
not be the subject of criminal proceedings because of their
f relatively trivial nature. Otherwise, however, clear distinction
has to be drawn between charges which may lead to criminal
proceedings and charges which although so serious that they
may lead to the dismissal of the offender, are not of a criminal nature. If at any stage it appears that a criminal
offence may have been committed departments should immediately report the matter to, or (if there is any doubt whether a criminal offence may have been committed) seek advice from the
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