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The Lands Department will create new posts, including Land Executive posts, with a view to enhancing the effectiveness of land control work.
"Among the new posts to be created, there will be 26 for the Land Executive grade, and 42 for three other grades including Estate Surveyor, Survey Officer (Estate) and Land Inspector. The number of newly created posts for each grade is determined having regard to operational needs. On the Land Executive grade, the number of additional posts is equivalent to about 8% of the current establishment of the grade," a Lands Department spokesman said today (June 21).
Since the Lands Department took over the squatter control team from the Housing Department in April, 2006, the department proposed to redeploy staffing resources in land and squatter control for the setting up of a Central Action Team.
"As the proposal involved restructuring of manpower and division of work among four different grades (including Estate Surveyor, Survey Officer (Estate), Land Executive and Land Inspector), the department's management has earlier consulted the four staff unions on their views.
"In the course of consultation, different and divergent views were received from various staff unions. The department considered it was not the right time to push ahead the proposal and it was necessary to continue dialogue with the staff unions," the spokesman said.
Currently, the 12 District Lands Offices are responsible for carrying out land control work. Policy over land control is clear and consistent. Staff at the management level in various District Lands Offices meet regularly to exchange views on means to handle issues of a similar nature.
"After taking over the Housing Department's squatter control team, the management has directed the team members to strengthen liaison and co-ordination with the District Lands Office staff while carrying out routine land control operation. Relevant guidelines are also issued to enhance effectiveness," the spokesman said.
The management has clear direction on how to improve land control work and has adopted a three-pronged approach to achieve the goal. Firstly, to utilise current available resources to create new posts to strengthen land control and lease enforcement work as soon as possible. Secondly, to arrange Lands Department grade staff to take over squatter control work gradually from the Housing Department staff. Thirdly, to review the relevant work structure and the possibility of reorganisation.
The first task is near completion while staff consultation is being conducted on the second and third tasks. The next round of discussions will be held before the end of June this year.
Ends/Thursday, June 21, 2007
Issued at HKT 18:48
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