Sick leave

(1) The clerk may grant to Officers in the National Assembly up to sixteen days sick leave with full pay in any one calendar year. This may be granted for such period or periods as the Clerk shall consider necessary for the recovery of the Officer; provided that absence for more than one day on any occasion shall not be granted without satisfactory evidence of illness and that no more than six such days of paid sick leave shall be allowed without a medical certificate in any one year. 52 National Assembly Staff (2) Sick leave referred to in (1) above may also be used by Officers in the case of illness of their spouse or children up to a maximum of five days and in the case of fathers as paternal leave to assist at the time of the birth of their child up to a maximum of five days. (3) An Officer requiring leave on the grounds of illness shall submit his application not later than the first day of absence unless prevented from doing so by circumstances beyond his control. Such application must be accompanied by adequate evidence of the nature of the illness, including the written opinion of a medical practitioner and Social Security Forms SB1 and SM2. (4) If the Officer has already exhausted his sick leave for a particular year and requires further sick leave without a medical certificate, he shall be required to utilize vacation leave or may be granted leave without pay. (5) Should the illness of the Officer necessitate his continuous absence beyond his normal sick leave eligibility, application may be made to the Committee accompanied by relevant medical evidence and the Committee may grant special sick leave up to a maximum of one hundred and eighty days on full pay. This shall be contingent on a prognosis of eventual recovery and return to duty by the Director of Health Services. (6) If the illness of the Officer exceeds 180 days, the question of his fitness for further service shall be taken up with the Director of Health Services. On substantial evidence from a Medical Board that full recovery and return to duty is probable, the Officer may be granted further extension of special sick leave by the Committee up to a further 180 days on half pay. (7) If the illness of the Officer exceeds three hundred and sixty days he shall re-appear before the Medical Board which shall determine his fitness to continue in service. National Assembly Staff 53