CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
The government also administers a long-established policy of localisation of the Civil Service, which aims to ensure that it is staffed primarily by officers whose roots are in Hong Kong and who have a sense of commitment to Hong Kong. Under the policy, preference is given to recruitment of local candidates, defined as people who are permanent residents of the HKSAR. Overseas candidates are considered only when there is no fully qualified and suitable local candidate, and the qualifications cannot be modified to enable a local candidate to be appointed. Renewal of an overseas agreement is subject to the lack of a suitable local replacement.
Subject to the above requirements and policy, appointment to the Civil Service is based on open and fair competition which aims to recruit the 'best person for the job'. The appointment process is open, transparent and non-discriminatory. Promotion is performance-based and is not a reward for long service. To ensure fairness and impartiality, recruitment and promotion to the middle and senior ranks of the Civil Service are subject to the advice of the Public Service Commission. As the largest employer in Hong Kong, the government takes the lead in employing people with a disability to help them integrate into the community and ensure that they are given equal opportunity in recruitment to the Civil Service.
Most civil servants are employed on permanent and pensionable (P&P) terms, which feature a long-term employment and pension benefits upon retirement. Agreement terms (appointment for a fixed term with end-of-contract gratuity) are used where there are difficulties in recruiting and retaining qualified and suitable candidates or where there are special circumstances or service needs. Apart from civil servants, the government also recruits staff on temporary terms or on short-term contracts to cater for staff needs in different departments.
The government planned to introduce in January 1999 a unified set of terms of appointment and conditions of service for all new appointments to replace the variations between the existing local and overseas terms and conditions.
The government monitors closely the turnover in the Civil Service for manpower planning purposes. Overall wastage of the Civil Service in 1997/98 was only 3.7 per cent — the lowest in the past 10 years. Given the importance of continuity at the management level, the government has a well-established staff planning mechanism. The Secretary for the Civil Service meets regularly with Heads of Department and their Policy Secretaries to review succession planning of senior staff and to identify and groom officers with potential for advancement to senior management, in order to develop a pool of talents for senior positions.
All public servants have the right to make any representations of a public or private nature to the Chief Executive under the Public Service (Administration) Order 1997. This also provides that the Chief Executive may appoint a review board to advise him on those representations relating to appointment, dismissal and discipline of public servants. The review board is meant to be an independent and impartial appeal mechanism for civil servants. The framework for its establishment and operation is being formulated.
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
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