LCQ13: Staff wastage in disciplined services
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Following is a question by Dr Hon Fernando Cheung and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, in the Legislative Council today (July 5):
Question:
The Commissioner of Correctional Services said at the annual press conference of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) held in February this year that CSD was still undergoing a peak period of staff wastage. On the other hand, some disciplined services staff members have relayed to me that the wastage of staff members, particularly those appointed for less than one year, in their departments is serious. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective wastage of the staff of various ranks in CSD since the beginning of this year, and the percentages of such members in the total numbers of staff members in the relevant ranks;
(2) of the respective wastage of the staff of various ranks in other disciplined services (i.e. the Hong Kong Police Force, the Fire Services Department, the Immigration Department, the Customs and Excise Department and the Government Flying Service) in the 2016-2017 financial year, and the percentages of such members in the total numbers of staff members in the relevant ranks;
(3) of the respective wastage of staff members appointed for less than one year in various disciplined services in each of the past five financial years, and the percentages of such members in the total numbers of staff members in the relevant ranks; and
(4) whether it has gained an understanding about the detailed reasons for the staff wastage in various disciplined services?
Reply:
President,
(1) The wastage figures and wastage rates of staff in different ranks of Correctional Services Department (CSD) from April 1 to May 31, 2017 are listed as follows:
| Natural wastage | Other wastage | Total | Wastage rate | |
| Officer rank | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0.37% |
| Rank and file | 28 | 12 | 40 | 0.86% |
(2) The wastage figures and wastage rates of staff in different ranks of the disciplined services in the 2016-17 financial year are listed as follows:
Inspector/Officer rank
| Natural wastage | Other wastage | Total | Wastage rate | |
| CSD | 62 | 11 | 73 | 6.67% |
| Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) | 48 | 4 | 52 | 5.37% |
| Fire Services Department (FSD) | 43 | 11 | 54 | 4.37% |
| Government Flying Service (GFS) | 7 | 5 | 12 | 6.67% |
| Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) |
130 | 38 | 168 | 5.96% |
| Immigration Department (ImmD) | 88 | 18 | 106 | 5.80% |
Rank and file
| Natural wastage | Other wastage | Total | Wastage rate | |
| CSD | 194 | 113 | 307 | 6.48% |
| C&ED | 173 | 70 | 243 | 6.27% |
| FSD | 261 | 86 | 347 | 4.12% |
| GFS | N/A (no rank and file staff) | |||
| HKPF | 632 | 394 | 1026 | 3.94% |
| ImmD | 80 | 51 | 131 | 3.50% |
(3) The respective wastage figures and wastage rates of staff members appointed for less than one year in various disciplined services in each of the past five financial years are listed as follows:
Inspector/Officer rank
| Financial year | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | |
| CSD | Total | 2 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Wastage rate | 0.19% | 0.19% | 0.19% | 0.46% | 0.46% | |
| C&ED | Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Wastage rate | - | - | - | 0.21% | - | |
| FSD | Total | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Wastage rate | 0.26% | 0.34% | 0.09% | 0.34% | 0.40% | |
| GFS | Total | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wastage rate | 0.64% | 0.61% | 0.61% | - | 0.56% | |
| HKPF | Total | 6 | 20 | 24 | 15 | 19 |
| Wastage rate | 0.23% | 0.74% | 0.87% | 0.54% | 0.67% | |
| ImmD | Total | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
| Wastage rate | 0.17% | 0.17% | 0.16% | 0.23% | 0.49% | |
Rank and file
| Financial year | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | 2016-17 | |
| CSD | Total | 21 | 25 | 19 | 18 | 21 |
| Wastage rate | 0.44% | 0.52% | 0.40% | 0.37% | 0.44% | |
| C&ED | Total | 3 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| Wastage rate | 0.08% | 0.22% | 0.21% | 0.18% | 0.23% | |
| FSD | Total | 11 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 26 |
| Wastage rate | 0.14% | 0.19% | 0.22% | 0.22% | 0.31% | |
| GFS | Total | Not applicable (no rank and file staff) | ||||
| Wastage rate | ||||||
| HKPF | Total | 27 | 59 | 63 | 99 | 98 |
| Wastage rate | 0.11% | 0.23% | 0.25% | 0.38% | 0.38% | |
| ImmD | Total | 7 | 8 | 7 | 14 | 6 |
| Wastage rate | 0.21% | 0.23% | 0.20% | 0.38% | 0.16% | |
(4) In the past five financial years, retirement was the main reason for staff wastage in the disciplined services. Other reasons for leaving the service such as resignation and transfer constituted only a relatively small number. Departments conduct exit surveys with staff resigning from the disciplined services. Based on feedback received from these surveys, the reasons for staff resigning from the disciplined services include family, personal career preferences, taking up jobs in the private sector or other personal reasons. A generalised conclusion cannot be drawn.
Ends/Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Issued at HKT 16:15
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