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The Chief Executive in Council has decided to accept the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service (Judicial Committee) that the pay for judges and judicial officers (JJOs) for 2015-16 should be increased by 4.41 per cent. The pay adjustment will take retrospective effect from April 1, 2015.
A Government spokesman said today (September 30), "In coming up with its recommendation on judicial pay for 2015-16, the Judicial Committee has adopted a balanced approach, taking into account a basket of factors as approved by the Chief Executive in Council in May 2008, the principle of judicial independence and the position of the Judiciary. The basket of factors includes:
(a) responsibility, working conditions and workload of judges vis-ˆj-vis those of lawyers in private practice;
(b) recruitment and retention in the Judiciary;
(c) retirement age and retirement benefits of JJOs;
(d) benefits and allowances enjoyed by JJOs;
(e) unique features of the judicial service such as the security of tenure, the prestigious status and high esteem of the judicial offices;
(f) prohibition against return to private practice in Hong Kong;
(g) overseas remuneration arrangements;
(h) cost of living adjustments;
(i) general economic situation in Hong Kong;
(j) budgetary situation of the Government;
(k) private sector pay levels and trends; and
(l) public sector pay as a reference."
The Judicial Committee submitted its report to the Chief Executive on July 13, 2015, recommending a pay increase of 4.41 per cent for the JJOs for 2015-16. A copy of the report is available at the website of the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service (www.jsscs.gov.hk/en/publications/reports_jscs.htm).
The Government will seek the approval of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council on the proposed pay adjustment.
Ends/Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Issued at HKT 14:01
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