XN000022-1972-10-25 — Page 15

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Wednesday, October 25, 1972

APPLICATION FOR LEAVE TO ATTEND CONFERENCE

A Government spokesman today described as "far from accurate" certain

remarks made during yesterday's opening of the Public Services International

(P.S.I.) Third Asian Regional Conference concerning the granting of leave to

civil servants to attend the conference.

He said the Colonial Secretary had personally given instruction that

any civil servants who applied for leave to attend the conference should be

allowed to do so.

He was referring to the remarks, published in today's newspapers,

which alleged that civil servants had been prevented from attending the conference

because of Government's refusal to grant them special leave.

The spokesman explained that one of the Staff Associations affiliated

to the P.S.I. applied in writing to the Establishment Secretary on October 11,

1972, for special leave for five of its members so that they could attend the

conference from October 24 to 26, 1972.

Other five staff associations submitted their applications to the

head of the departments concerned at about the same time, he said,

"In accordance with the practice first laid down in May 1970 when the

P.S.I. held a regional seminar in Hong Kong, the associations were notified well

before the opening of the conference that officers could not be granted absence

from duty but that they might apply for casual or vacation leave and that wherever

possible, their applications would be approved.

"If it so happened that an officer did not have any leave credited to

him, the associations were informed that such officers could apply for an advance

of leave, and that their applications would be sympathetically considered," he said.

In this connection, the spokesman said, it was grossly unfair to suggest

that Government had in any way prevented members of Civil Service Staff Association

from attending the P.S.I. conference.

Release Time: 7.00 p.m.

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