Chapter 17: Passages

1700. Nothing in this Chapter shall give any officer a right to free passages, passage grants, or; other privileges.
1701. Passages and passage grants are provided solely for:

1. public officer travelling on duty;
2. officers appointed from outside The Bahamas, and;
3. officers travelling to attend courses of training, or; to take up scholarships, if The Bahamas Government is responsible for payment of their travelling expenses.

In the case of categories (2) and (3) and subject to General Order 1710 below, passages, or; passage grants are provided for officers, their wives and up to two children aged eighteen years or under, who are unmarried and dependent upon the officer.
N.B. If a child who has been provided with a free outward passage, or; passage grant, reaches the age of nineteen during the period of the officer's service in The Bahamas, a return passage or passage grant may be provided for such a child if the child is still unmarried and dependent on the officer.
1702. Passages will normally be provided by air, and air passages will be at the following rates: Economy, Tourist, or; whatever title is applied to the next lower class of travel below "First Class" on the route in question.
1703. Officers on first appointment from abroad and at the end of contract may elect to travel either by sea, or; by an indirect route, provided, that Government's contribution (passage grant) shall be limited to the cost of Economy Air Passage by the most direct route in accordance with General Order 1702. The actual charge for any excess baggage within the limits provided under General Order 1715, may only be claimed on production of receipted accounts on first appointment and final departure at the end of an officer's service.
1704. Otherwise than in General Order 1703 Passages by sea will be provided only for certified health reasons. If an officer wishes to travel by sea for other reasons, Government's contribution (passage grant) towards the cost of the sea passage and transportation of baggage shall be limited to the cost of air passages by the most direct route in accordance with General Order 1702.
1705. Passages and passage grants are provided for officers appointed from outside The Bahamas only:

1. on first appointment under General Order 1706;
2. on satisfactory completion of contract under General Order 1706;
3. on retirement under General Order 1719;
4. in the case of death during service under General Order 1720.

1706. Passages are provided for officers appointed from abroad only from the country in which the officer was appointed to The Bahamas and return. If on completion of his contract, an officer proceeds to some place other than the country from which he was appointed, then Government will pay passage charges not exceeding the cost of passage by the most direct air route to the country in which he was appointed.
1707. The booking of passages for officers appointed from abroad must be arranged through the office of The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service. Payment for passages will be made direct to the company concerned and not to the officer. In the case of officers eligible for free passages from the United Kingdom, The Crown Agents will be requested to make the bookings.
1708. An officer appointed from abroad may arrange his own return passage if he so desires, in which case payment will be made from public funds to the airline, or; shipping agent of passage charges not exceeding the cost of the officer's passage travelling by the most direct air route.
1709. Where an officer is appointed from abroad but in a country other than the United Kingdom, the amounts payable under General Orders 1702 and 1708 will be determined by The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service on the same principles as set out above, i.e. the actual cost of direct air passages to and from The Bahamas.
1710. (i) Locally recruited officers are not entitled to passages and passage grants in the same circumstances as officers appointed from abroad.
1711. (ii) The entitlement of all public officers travelling on duty, or; on attachments, or; training courses who are eligible for passages under General Order 1701 shall be Economy Class Air. There may however, be exceptional circumstances when senior officers travelling as Government representatives ought to travel first class, so as not to embarrass either the officer, or; The Government; but, if such circumstances appear likely to arise, prior permission must be obtained from The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service for the officer to travel first class.
(iii) The passage entitlement of officers travelling on duty shall not include family passages.
(iv) Officers on attachments, or; training courses shall be eligible for passages or passage grants for their wives and up to two children the same as officers on recruitment provided that the training course, or; attachment is of not less than 12 months duration, or; has not less than 12 months to run.
1711. The provisions of this Chapter apply to male and female officers alike, except that in the case of a woman officer with a child or children, a child shall be deemed to be dependent on her only if the father of the child is dead, or; the woman officer is divorced from the father and has been awarded the legal custody of the child and in either event she has not remarried.
1712. An officer recruited from abroad may be allowed by The Permanent Secretary of The Public Service to surrender all the passages of his entitled children and to devote the savings towards the cost of extra return passages for himself and his wife during a period of engagement. If an officer is allowed to do this, he will not be allowed to enjoy any passages in respect of his children. Savings in respect of children's passages will be computed on the basis of the fare which would have been paid for their air passages by the most direct route.

On First Appointment

1714. In the case of an officer on first appointment who is recruited from outside The Bahamas, free air passages, including the reasonable cost of transport to the point of embarkation, will be provided for the officer and also for his wife and not more than two children, as defined in General Order 1701, providing that they accompany him, or; join him in The Bahamas within twelve months of his appointment, and that they make The Bahamas their place of domicile. If it is necessary to break the journey, any reasonable expenses necessarily incurred in respect of board and lodging will be refunded on the presentation of receipted bills, and also any necessary taxi fares between the airport and the hotel.
1715. Officers who are entitled to free passages on first appointment, or; on final departure are also eligible for reimbursement of the actual cost of transportation of heavy baggage, but baggage allowance will be paid only on production of receipts whether the officer travels by air or sea and subject to the following maxima:
(i) $200 for each officer travelling to, or; from Europe, America or West Africa, or;
(ii) $300 for each officer travelling to, or; from East Africa, Asia or Australia, and;
(iii) $100 each for the officer's wife, and for not more than 2 children over 12 years old.
The baggage allowance is paid on first appointment and final departure at the end of an officer's service.
N.B. "Final Departure" mean departure at the end of an officer's service, not contract, in The Bahamas.
1716. Within the above limits an officer may use his discretion as to what items of household furniture and effects are included, but no additional payments will be made to cover the transport of cars, motor cycles, boats, etc...
1717. In the case of transfer within The Bahamas, an officer will be provided with:

1. free transport for himself, for his family, for their household and personal effects, and for their heavy baggage.
2. free transport for his motor car, or; motor cycle, if either is necessary for the execution of his duties.
3. free transport for not more than two servants accompanying him on transfer, providing that he would be responsible for the return passage of any such servant in all circumstances other than those on his retransfer back to the original station.

1718. In the case of transfer to the service of another country of the British Commonwealth, free passages will be provided for the officer and his family either to the United Kingdom, or; to the country in which he was appointed. or; at the officer's option a passage grant not exceeding the cost of air passages to the United Kingdom provided that he proceeds thither for the purpose of taking leave due to him under the terms of his engagement in The Bahamas before taking up his new appointment on retirement and on death during service.
1719. Officers eligible under General Order 1701(2) who leave the country on retirement, or; on pre-retirement leave will be eligible for passages or passage grants and for baggage allowances, provided that they intend to reside elsewhere and give up permanent residence in The Bahamas.
1720. If an officer who is eligible under General Order 1701(2) dies whilst in The Service, air passages will be provided for his widow and his children aged eighteen years, or; under who are unmarried and who are dependent upon him, to the place where the officer was originally recruited, or; else to the country of domicile, or; the birthplace of the widow, provided that the removal take place within six months of the officer's death. Should the widow and the children leave The Bahamas within this period to reside elsewhere, she will be provided with a passage grant not exceeding the cost of the air passages to the place where the officer was originally recruited.
1721. In the circumstances envisaged in General Order 1720 widows will be eligible for reimbursement of the entire cost of surface transportation of their personal and household effects, including such incidental charges as port dues, wharfage, dock and cartage charges, clearance charges and agency fees, customs attendance and carriage to the ultimate destination as well as the actual freight to the destination but excluding all insurance charges.
1722. In appropriate circumstances allowances as in General Order 1721 will be paid to the administrators of a deceased officer's estate, when his personal effects are transported to his home country.