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could be reimbursed for expenses incurred in official untertaining. Except in the case of His Excellency the Governor, we are opposed to the introduction of departmental votes for entertainment but recommend the provision of funds for official entertainment to be controlled by the Secretariat from which officers can be reimbursed for approved expenditure. It would, in our opinion, place Heads of Departments in an invidious position if they wore themselves to control departmental votes for this purpose.
Charge Allowance and Acting Pay.
54.
We understand that during the Military Administration and for some time after the resumption of civil government, when many officers were on recuperative leave, the practice arose of paying charge allowances to certain officers not eligible for acting pay who had to undertake greatly increased responsibilities. While such a system was unavoidable in the abnormal circumstances of that period, the Commission is opposed to the payment of charge allowances. The responsibilities of many posts are liable to vary according to circumstances and when responsibilities temporarily increasc, most officers welcome the opportunity presented to them of displaying their capabilitics. If there is a permanent increase in responsibility we consider that there is a case for the upgrading of the post. Difficultics have arisen in the past mainly becausc the application of acting pay rules. We understand that officers on dollar salaries were not normally granted acting pay when taking the place of officers on sterling salaries. Any difficultion proviously experienced in this regard will disappear if our recommendation is accepted that all basic salaries should be expressed in Hong Kong dollars. We further understand that it is difficult to apply the acting pay rules in casos where the salary scales of two grados overlap and an officer in the lower grade who is called upon to act in the higher grado is already on a salary higher than the minimum of the higher grade. The present salary of the Chief Officer, Prisons Department, is £550 to £700 per annum and the minimum salary of the Assistant Superintendent of Prisons is £500 per annum. Although the Chief Officer would have additional responsibilities while acting as Assistant Superintendent, he would not be eligible for any acting pay under tho provisions of General Order 90(2)(a). The salary scheme wo are recommending will involve in certain cases overlapping between grades and we recommend that where an officer in a lower grade acts in a higher grade for thirty days continuously and during that time in the opinion of the Governor has definitely increased responsibilities, but is at prosent ineligible under General Order 90(2)(a) for any acting pay, specific rates of acting pay should be devised and laid down. 55.
On this understanding; we recommend the abolition of all charge allowances. Certain officers in the Education Department are, however, at present drawing charge allowances while working as headmasters of Government schools. We agree that headmasters should receive remuneration over and above that of a master or assistant master and have considered the possibility
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