SCS Writes to All Civil Servants

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The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in his new capacity as the Secretary under the Accountability System issued a letter to all civil servants today (July 1). The letter has been uploaded on the homepage of the Civil Service Bureau at http://www.csb.gov.hk. Following is the full text of the letter:

Dear Colleagues,

This is my first letter to colleagues in my new capacity as the Secretary for the Civil Service under the Accountability System.

Let me first assure colleagues that under the Accountability System, civil servants will continue to be appointed, managed and promoted on the basis of merit and in accordance with the principles of openness and fairness and with the prevailing rules and regulations applicable to the civil service. The civil service will continue to be subject to the prevailing civil service disciplinary system, under which allegations of misconduct against individual civil servants are determined through an impartial process based on consideration of factual evidence. The Public Service Commission will, as before, tender independent advice to the Government on the appointment, promotion and discipline of civil servants.

Colleagues should note that on 24 June 2002, when the Chief Executive announced the appointments of the Principal Officials under his second term of office as the head of the HKSAR Government, he once again underlined the importance that he will attach to preserving the integrity and stability of the civil service. In addition, the Chief Executive, in his letter to all colleagues issued the same day, paid particular tribute to the immense contribution that the civil service has made towards Hong Kong's smooth transition, to the trust which members of the civil service have won from the people of Hong Kong over the years, and to the importance of the civil service as an institution which underpins the good governance of the HKSAR. He emphasised the importance of preserving the integrity and stability of the civil service and pledged not to allow these principles to be compromised in the process of reforms.

Colleagues should also note that the Code for Principal Officials appointed under the Accountability System has been published in the gazette on 28 June 2002 and can be accessed from the HKSAR Government website (http://www.info.gov.hk/pd/egazette). The Code sets out :

* the principal officials' responsibilities as the top echelon of the Government to lead and contribute towards the building up of an efficient, professional, fair, clean and honest civil service;

* their duty to give fair consideration and due weight to honest, informed and impartial advice from civil servants; and

* that one of the major tasks of the Secretary for the Civil Service, as the principal official responsible to the Chief Executive for managing the civil service, is to safeguard the core values of the civil service.

We have also issued the composite circular on the same day on the role and responsibilities of civil servants in relation to the principal officials. For quick reference, the composite circular can be downloaded from the Central Cyber Government Office (http://portal.ccgo.hksarg) under the "CSB Circulars" within "Circulars & Circular Memoranda".

Among other things, the circular sets out the procedures for managing situations where a civil servant believes that he is being asked to act in a manner which is either illegal, improper, in conflict with the core values of the civil service, or in breach of any Government Regulation; which may involve maladministration; or which conflicts with his role as a civil servant or with the principle of political neutrality.

Having served in the civil service since 1973, I could readily understand the concerns that have been expressed by some civil servants about the impact that the implementation of the Accountability System may have on the job security of civil servants. As it is known to all, the Government believes in the principle of small government. In the past few years, through the concerted efforts of all colleagues, we have successfully reduced the size of the civil service establishment by nearly nine per cent . We have achieved that without detriment to the efficiency and quality of our service. Nor has there been any forced redundancy in the process. After their coming into office, it is incumbent upon the principal officials to consider the best deployment of resources in their respective bureaux and departments and to adjust the priority according to practical needs, with a view to further improving cost-effectiveness and re-engineering the process of service delivery. I must, however, stress that in shaping policies to meet the challenges that Hong Kong needs to address, the principal officials and their colleagues will ensure that through strengthened communication the staff sides are apprised of and involved in rolling out measures to enhance efficiency. As the Secretary for the Civil Service, it is my unequivocal duty to ensure that the interests and concerns of the civil service are fully represented and taken into account before any major decision is taken by Government.

Before I conclude, let me say that it is my honour and pleasure to serve as the Secretary for the Civil Service under the Accountability System. I make a personal pledge that the Government will never take or contemplate any measure which will undermine the strengths and core values of the Hong Kong civil service. We have a first class civil service. Civil servants need to embrace change and continuously meet the rising expectation of our fellow citizens. Let us remember always that we are part of the Hong Kong community and have the same overall interests.

End/Monday, July 1, 2002

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