15
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1978
ON LOCALISATION, MR. ROWLANDS SAID LOCAL OFFICERS NOW HELD 197 POSTS AT THE DIRECTORATE LEVEL, OR 35 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL. HE WAS CONFIDENT THAT THIS PROPORTION WOULD GROW STEADILY IN THE YEARS AHEAD.
+ INDEED, WE APPEAR TO BE ENTERING A PHASE WHERE IT WILL BE INCREASINGLY THE NORM FOR OVERSEAS OFFICERS TO FIND. LOCAL OFFICERS SENIOR TO THEM IN RANK.+
WITH REGARD TO THE HON. LYDIA DUNN'S REFERENCE TO THE +PARTICULARLY LARGE+ NUMBER OF OVERSEAS OFFICERS WHO JOINED THE SERVICE LAST YEAR, MR. ROWLANDS SAID IT HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED POLICY TO RECRUIT REGULARLY FROM OVERSEAS FOR THE POLICE FORCE.
+IN ALMOST ALL OTHER CASES THE NEED TO RECRUIT FROM OVERSEAS WAS PARTLY THE CONSEQUENCE OF AN OVERALL SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE IN HONG KONG HOLDING PARTICULAR QUALIFICATIONS (FOR EXAMPLE SURVEYORS), PARTLY THE CONSEQUENCE OF EXTREMELY HIGH DEMAND IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR (FOR EXAMPLE ARCHITECTS) AND PARTLY BECAUSE IN SOME PROFESSIONS (FOR EXAMPLE MEDICAL AND LEGAL), THERE IS A MARKED PREFERENCE FOR PRIVATE PRACTICE.+
MR. ROWLANDS SAID IT WAS EVIDENT THAT, DESPITE REPEATED DECLARATIONS OF INTENT TO LOCALISE, AND DESPITE THE FACT THAT MORE AND MORE LOCAL OFFICERS WERE MOVING INTO SENIOR RANKS, THE GOVERNMENT HAD NOT SUCCEEDED IN PERSUADING MANY PEOPLE OF ITS SINCERITY ON THIS ISSUE. THIS MIGHT BE PARTLY BECAUSE NO MATTER HOW MUCH THE GOVERNMENT DID, THERE WAS ALWAYS SO MUCH MORE REMAINING TO BE DONE.
+I TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY THEREFORE OF STATING, UNEQUIVOCALLY, THAT I REGARD IT AS ONE OF MY PRINCIPAL TASKS TO IMPLEMENT THE GOVERNMENT'S LOCALISATION POLICY, TO DO SO FIRMLY, AND WITH FAIRNESS TO ALL THE OFFICERS CONCERNED, LOCAL AND OVERSEAS ALIKE,+ MR. ROWLANDS SAID.
HE SAID HE ECHOED MISS DUNN'S REMARK THAT HONG KONG WAS TOO SOPHISTICATED A PLACE FOR IT TO BE WISE OR NECESSARY TO PURSUE A POLICY OF LOCALISATION FOR ITS OWN SAKE. INDEED, IF WE WERE EVER TO FALL INTO THAT TRAP, THE CIVIL SERVICE COULD LOSE SOME OF ITS MOST DEDICATED AND TALENTED OFFICERS. HONG KONG AS A WHOLE WOULD THEN BE THE LOSER.+
ON CONDITIONS OF SERVICE FOR MARRIED WOMEN CIVIL SERVANTS, MR. ROWLANDS SAID HE WOULD ARRANGE A FURTHER SURVEY OF CURRENT PRACTICE IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR CONSIDERING WHETHER THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD CHANGE ITS RULES.
REFERRING TO THE PROBLEM OF PRIVATE HOUSING FOR CIVIL SERVANTS, MR. ROWLANDS SAID IT WAS NOW BEING LOOKED AT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE FULL SCALE REVIEW OF EXISTING POLICIES, FOR HOUSING CIVIL SERVANTS.
I SHALL NOT BE +WHILE I CANNOT ANTICIPATE ITS OUTCOME, SURPRISED IF IT RECOMMENDS THAT OUR MAIN AIM IN FUTURE SHOULD BE TO ASSIST CIVIL SERVANTS TO OWN THEIR HOMES WHERE THEY WISH TO DO SO.+
J
/ON THE SUBJECT