The Director of Home Affairs, Ms Shelley Lee, and Acting Deputy Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Sarah Kwok, today (December 19) presented the 2000 Best Public Enquiry Service Centre (PESC) and Best Sub-treasury Awards to front-line staff in recognition of their contributions in serving the community.

The two awards are made annually to recognize the achievements of PESC and Sub-treasury staff in serving the community and as an encouragement to maintain and improve standards of performance.

The awards are based on the results of public opinion surveys conducted by a private marketing research company and the assessments of departmental working groups.

The Mui Wo Press Enquiry Service Centre of the Islands District Office and the Sai Kung District Office received the 2000 Best PESC Award and Best Sub-treasury Award respectively.

Other PESC awards included the Courtesy Award won by Southern PESC; the Enthusiasm Award won by Wong Tai Sin PESC; the Job Knowledge Award won by Sha Tin PESC; the Skills Award won by Cheung Chau PESC; the Cleanliness Award won by Kowloon City PESC; and the Up-to-date Displays Award won by the Eastern District Office.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Director of Home Affairs, Mr Lui Hau-tuen and Acting Deputy Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Sarah Kwok, presented prizes to winners of two internal contests - the Chinese Couplet Competition and Putonghua Speech/Quiz Contest.

The Contests are organised by the Home Affairs Department's Working Group on Chinese Language Proficiency aiming to promote the wider use of Chinese official business in the department as well as to enhance the awareness and interest of colleagues in using Putonghua.

The couplet entries are assessed for their content, style and rhetorical expression, while the Putonghua speech/quiz contestants are assessed for their accuracy of pronunciation, fluency and smoothness of delivery, and the natural and appropriate display of emotion.

The champions of the inter-district/section category and the individual category of the Chinese Couplet Competition are the Translation Section of North District Office and Miss Lee Shuk-yee, Translation Section of the Sai Kung District Office respectively.

The champion of the Putonghua Speech/Quiz Contest is Miss Queenie Lau of the Sai Kung District Office.

End/Tuesday, December 19, 2000

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