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Following is a question by the Hon Kwong Chi-kin and a written reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Miss Denise Yue, on departmental management's support to staff receiving treatment in the Legislative Council today (June 13):
Question:
It is learnt that cases in which civil servants were incompetent to perform the duties of their original posts after work-related injuries have been increasing in recent years and the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) has not formulated any employment rehabilitation support programme so far. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of employees in various government departments who were injured at work or suffered from occupational diseases in each of the past three years, and details of the existing measures to assist them in returning to work; and
(b) whether CSB will formulate, next year or in the near future, policies, pledges and administrative guidelines to assist civil servants in returning to work after recovery from injuries; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) The number of staff members of the Government who were injured on duty or suffered from occupational diseases in the past three years are set out in the Annex.
Under the existing arrangements, to show its concern, departmental management keeps in touch, from time to time, with the staff members who are injured on duty or suffer from occupational diseases in the course of their treatment as well as recuperation. If necessary, appropriate support and counselling is provided to them to facilitate their early recovery and resumption of duty. According to our experience, most of the staff members who were injured on duty or suffered from occupational diseases have no problem in returning to their original work positions after recovery. For the other cases, departmental management will provide the staff members concerned with appropriate devices, or re-arrange their duties or redeploy them to lighter duties having regard to medical advice and their health conditions, in order to help them return to work and discharge their duties effectively. If the staff members concerned are not medically fit to perform their original duties, the relevant departmental management will take into account their specific circumstances and make suitable posting arrangements.
(b) The existing measures to assist the staff members concerned in returning to work after recovery from injuries on duty or occupational diseases are working well. It is flexible in addressing the different needs of such staff members and assisting them to resolve the problems they may encounter upon resumption of duty. Government departments will continue to review the operation and effectiveness of these measures from time to time and make appropriate improvements as and when necessary.
Ends/Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:25
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