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PROVISIONAL URBAN COUNCIL
relevant USD internal instructions and guidelines by their subordinates and to strengthen the supervisory officers' awareness of and sense of responsibility towards staff management.
MR. CHAN CHOI-HI (in Cantonese):-Regarding part three of the written reply concerning the way to step up supervision over staff performance, may I ask the Chairman of the Select Committee whether he would agree to the formation of surprise inspection teams comprising Members or the Chairman to conduct regular surprise inspections of say, the relevant records? Can we embark on the action of surprise inspections?
MR. SUEN KAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-I believe that in supervising the entire civil service, we have to be accountable to the public. Every member of the public in Hong Kong has the right to supervise them, while it is even more the responsibility of Members to do so. As for the need to set up surprise inspection teams, careful consideration is warranted. It all depends on the wishes of Members. If every Member is willing to join the surprise inspection teams, it will not be a bad idea to have one more mechanism for supervision.
THE HON. LI Wah-ming (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, in discussing the report of the Audit Commission, LegCo Members considered that the biggest problem with field staff of Government departments lied in the attendance registers. According to Mr. SUEN's written reply, the system is maintained whereby the staff sign in and out themselves. This is a very outdated system and a job very difficult to be monitored. Moreover, the supervisors overseeing these low-ranking staff themselves may misbehave. The question is who is going to supervise these supervisors? May I ask the Chairman of the Select Committee whether it is possible to introduce the clocking-in system? We may even consider adopting the Water Supplies Department's system whereby meter readers are required to record their attendance with computer cards to prevent any substitution or malpractice in clocking in. Why aren't some more objective and modernized tools be considered in place of hand-written attendance registers?
MR. SUEN KAI-CHEONG (in Cantonese): The proposal put up by Mr. Li Wah-ming just now is a very good one. The reply I have given is just a description of the existing practice for Members' information. It has already been briefly mentioned in part three of the written reply that the USD is fully concerned for the recommendations in the Audit Commission's report on the field staff of Government departments. I am sure we shall conduct a review of this issue, including the use of a more modernized method as proposed by Mr. Li Wah-ming just now.
MR. HENRY WU KING-CHEONG (in Cantonese):-About the appraisal system mentioned in part two of the written reply, it covers the supervision of staff conduct and performance. I would like to find out whether 'conduct' also
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