- 16
Wednesday, February 24, 1971
$1,000 MILLION FOR CIVIL SERVICE
Increased Momentum In Public Services Expansion
The cost of the civil service for the next financial year would
be slightly less than $1,000 million an increase of $108 million, or
12 per cent, over the original estimate for 1970-71, Sir John Cowperthwaite,
Financial Secretary, said today,
He told the Legislative Council the figure understated the additional
costs because "We have pruned the 1971-72 personal emoluments estimates
even more carefully than last year's.
The true increase was nearer $140 million, taking account of the
salary award made with effect from April, 1970, and staff increases approved
during the year.
of the $140 million, the cost of additional staff might be estimated
at $71 million a year, and the cost of the 1970 salary award at $29 million
a year, while the remaining $40 million represented the "creep" in the cost
of a relatively young and expanding civil service arising from the incremental
structure of salary scales, and a tendency for "piecemeal upward regradings
of departmental staff and improved fringe benefits."
/Sir John