CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
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departments (26 423), the Education Department (6 298), the Fire Services Department (6 513) and the Royal Hong Kong Police Force (30 307) – account for 64.78 per cent of the establishment of the entire Civil Service. During the 1984-5 financial year, the Civil Service establishment grew by less than two per cent mainly to provide additional services to the community in the medical field and in the disciplined services. At April 1, 1985, the total strength of the service was 172 641, more than 98 per cent of this number being local officers.
Recruitment and promotions to the middle and senior ranks of the Civil Service are subject to the advice of the Public Service Commission which is independent of the government. The commission has a full-time chairman and leading citizens are appointed as members on a voluntary basis.
The government is advised on matters relating to pay and conditions of service by two independent bodies. The Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service advises on matters affecting directorate officers (the 1000 most senior civil servants). During the year, the Standing Committee completed its ninth overall review of directorate salaries and conditions of service. The Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service deals with all other civil servants. During the year, the commission completed its review of the job-related allowances in the civil service and recommended several improvements to the current system. It continued its study of the way in which fringe benefits should be valued for the purpose of comparing the total pay package of civil servants with that of employees in the private sector, and engaged consultants to advise on certain aspects of this subject. The commission also monitored the conduct of the 1984-5 pay trend survey, reviewed the methodology used in the survey, and tendered advice on the pay structure of several individual grades.
Responsibility for the management of the Civil Service lies with the Civil Service Branch of the Government Secretariat. The branch deals with such matters as pay and conditions of service, appointments, staff management, manpower planning, training and discipline and is also the focal point for consultation with the principal staff associations.
The government fully recognises the value of good staff relations in the Civil Service and apart from providing welfare facilities to the staff, much effort is devoted to the promotion of staff consultation. The consultative machinery comprises two central consultative councils, namely the Senior Civil Service Council and the Model Scale I Staff Consultative Council, and consultative committees in the departments. Outside these councils and committees, individual members of the Civil Service or staff associations have ready access to their heads of departments or grades and the Civil Service Branch.
Efforts to improve productivity and quality of service at the point of delivery to the public continued in 1985. During the year, studies were conducted at 319 selected offices. The implementation of the recommendations of these studies resulted in improvement both in the quality of the service and the efficiency of the offices.
The government attaches great importance to the training of civil servants to improve their operational efficiency, to prepare them for higher responsibilities and to meet the developing manpower requirements of the service. The Civil Service Training Centre organises management and language training, and provides advice and assistance to departments on training matters. The centre also administers the Government Training Scholarship Scheme and various overseas training programmes.
A series of courses designed to prepare mid-career officers for senior management responsibilities is being conducted under the auspices of the Senior Staff Course Advisory Board. Each course lasts for 12 weeks and has up to 40 participants, including a few from