30
to six months leave exclusive of the time occupied in
travelling. As regards passages, the effect of the
Committee's proposals and of the existing regulations is
in the average case the same, in so far as pssages for the
officer and his wife are concerned, since both provide for
free passages after normal tours. As regards children the
Committee, while not ruling out the grant of assistance
towards the cost of passages in appropriate oases, expressed
the view that such assistance cannot be regarded as an
obligation of the Government in the same way as the provision
of the passages for officers themselves and their wives.
You will no doubt consider the Committee's view on this point
in the light of existing practice in Hong Kong.
5.
Other changes which the Committee's proposals
involve relate to study leave, and to the privileges which
should be granted to officers who are invalided from Hong Kong
and to officers who are found unfit to return to duty on the
conclusion of a period of leave. On the former point the
Committee's proposals are decidedly less generous than the
regulations now in force, but on the later point they would
call for an addition to the present regulations which do not
provide specially for oversoas leave or extensions of leave
in cs638 of sickness. In his despatch No.579 of the 9th
August 1952 Sir Thomas Southern wrote that it was not
considered feasible to provide for special leave to England on
account of sickness. I feel, however, that this question
deserves further consideration. The adoption of the
Committee's recommendations nɔed not involve any incresse in
the number of officers who are granted overseas leave for
ressons of health, and it would still be open to the
Government to take full advantage of the arrangements for
granting sick leave locally; but the Committee'a schome would
enable
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