CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
26
Turnover in the Civil Service has always been low compared with the private sector and the wastage rate of the overall Civil Service in 1996/97 was 4.3 per cent its lowest in nine years. Continuity at the management level is particularly important. For this purpose the government has a well-organised staff planning system. The Secretary for the Civil Service holds regular meetings with Heads of Departments and their Policy Secretaries to review succession planning of senior staff and to identify and groom officers with potential for senior management, in order to ensure a steady supply of talent to senior positions.
Historically, the terms of appointment and conditions of service for overseas officers and local officers have been different. The 'overseas' or 'local' status of an officer is determined with reference to habitual residency, general background and social ties and potential dislocation or up-rooting when appointed. It is not based on race or nationality. Over the years, the government has narrowed the gap and now local and overseas conditions of service are close.
Localisation of the Civil Service is a long-established policy of the government, dating from 1950 when the Public Service Commission came into being. Since then, recruitment of overseas candidates has been considered only when there are no fully qualified and suitable local candidates available and the qualification for appointment cannot be modified to enable a local candidate to be appointed. In addition, renewal of an overseas agreement is subject to the lack of a suitable local replacement.
As a long-term measure, the government would like to introduce a uniform set of terms of appointment and conditions of service for all new appointments to replace the existing differential between local and overseas terms and conditions. Detailed proposals are being worked out.
The government values regular communication and consultation with staff. There are four consultative councils at the central level: the Senior Civil Service Council, the Model Scale 1 Staff Consultative Council, the Disciplined Services Consultative Council and the Police Force Council. More than 80 consultative committees operate at the departmental level. A Civil Service Newsletter is published quarterly to provide an added link with serving and retired civil servants.
Staff commitment and contributions are recognised in various forms including appreciation letters, commendations and honours or awards. Long Service Travel Awards, Long and Meritorious Service Awards and retirement souvenirs are given to long-serving staff.
Some 17 per cent of the civil service workforce, comprising 28 000 officers, are clerical and secretarial grades staff. They play a very important role in providing office support to government departments and in delivering front-line services to the public. Hitherto, the duties of these grades have been distinctly demarcated and, as such, inhibit the effective deployment of human resources. The administration has initiated changes to streamline the structures of the clerical and secretarial grades to remove restrictive practices and enhance the word processing and computing skills of these staff to provide a more versatile general support service in government departments. It is hoped that implementation of these measures will lead to a leaner and more effective workforce in the long run.
The government respects personal data and is committed to fully implementing and complying with the Data Protection Principles and all relevant provisions of the