Civil servants set to get time off for 'sports day' The competed in events including athletics, football, swimming, fencing, touch rugby, golf, netball, mixed rounders and chess, before rounding off the stay at Loughborough University with a fancy dress party. Officials working for Whitehall departments and Government agencies already get two-and-a-half "privilege days" every year, for the Queen's birthday, Christmas Eve and half a day on Maundy Thursday. MPs have called on the Government to get rid of the perks when it unveils reforms to civil service contracts later this summer. Priti Patel, MP for Witham and a member of the Public Administration Committee, said extra holidays for civil servants have "a cost to taxpayers." A Cabinet Office spokesman said it is up to individual departments to decide whether they give "discretionary leave" for sports events or make them take holiday. "In line with many private sector companies, the Civil Service supports activities such as this which helps team building and staff morale," the spokesman said. To compete in the sports day a civil servant would have to take the afternoon as leave and have cleared it with their line manager. As for all leave matters, this if for individual departments to manage.