THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 1983
15
CIVIL SERVICE ACHIEVES HIGH PRODUCTIVITY
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THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE HAD ALREADY ATTAINED LEVELS OF PRODUCTIVITY NOT GENERALLY ACHIEVED BY CIVIL SERVICES ELSEWHERE BUT MUST MOVE FORWARD, THE SECRETARY FOR CIVIL SERVICE, THE HON MARTIN ROWLANDS, SAID TODAY.
SPEAKING AT THE RESUMED BUDGET DEBATE, MR ROWLANDS SAID: +WE HAVE LAID THE GROUNDWORK: WE HAVE THE SUPPORT OF UNOFFICIALS, OF MANAGEMENT, AND OF THE INDIVIDUAL CIVIL SERVANT: AND PROVIDED WE PERSEVERE AND ARE NOT AFRAID TO INNOVATE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RAISE THE EFFICIENCY OF OUR SERVICE TO A NEW PLATEAU.+
MR ROWLANDS WAS REPLYING TO POINTS RAISED BY UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS CONCERNING THE STAFFING OF THE CIVIL SERVICE GENERALLY.
IN THE IR REFERENCES TO THE STAFFING OF THE SERVICE, THE UNOFFICIALS FOCUSED ON THE FOLLOWING THREE MAIN OBJECTIVES
1. ECONOMY OF RECURRENT EXPENDITURE (THE GREATER PART OF
WHICH IS STAFF-BASED);
2. IMPROVED EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY, AND
3. MINIMUM GROWTH OF STAFF MEMBERS, THE STAFF FOR NEW AND EXPANDED SERVICES BEING FOUND AS FAR AS POSSIBLE BY REDEPLOYMENT OF EXISTING RESOURCES.
MR ROWLANDS SAID HE WAS SURE THAT ALL OFFICIALS WOULD ENDORSE THESE OBJECTIVES, AND INDEED, THAT THE DRAFT ESTIMATES OF EXPENDITURE FOR THE COMING YEAR REFLECTED NUMEROUS MEASURES ALREADY TAKEN IN THIS DIRECTION.
HE SAID THAT THE CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH, AS THE LARGEST IN THE SECRETARIAT, HAD CLEARLY TO SET AN EXAMPLE AND HAD SOUGHT NO INCREASE IN STAFF FOR THE COMING YEAR.
+THIS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE SERVICE WHICH WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MANAGING IS CONTINUING TO GROW, HE ADDED.
HE SAID THAT OF THE 60 GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES 35 (OR 58 PER CENT) WERE DUE TO EXPERIENCE ZERO OR CLOSE-TO-ZERÓ GROWTH IN STAFF DURING THE YEAR.
SINCE THEIR WORKLOADS WERE UNLIKELY TO DECREASE, THE CONSEQUENCE SHOULD BE INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY, HE SAID.
MR ROWLANDS SAID THAT THE FACT THAT THE WORK OF THE CIVIL SERVICE WAS OFTEN QUALITATIVE AND COULD NOT EASILY BE MEASURED DID NOT MEAN THAT PRODUCTIVITY COULD NOT BE IMPROVED, OR THAT BENCHMARKS SHOULD NOT BE ESTABLISHED AGAINST WHICH SUCH IMPROVEMENTS COULD BE MEASURED.
/+INDEED IT