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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1987
+ IN THE SOCIAL SERVICES SECTOR WE ARE ACUTELY AWARE OF THE NEED NOT TO STIFLE THE ASPIRATIONS AND INITIATIVE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO COLLECTIVELY CONTINUE TO TURN THE GREAT WHEEL OF SUCCESS FOR HONG KONG.
BUT HE ADMITTED THAT +OUR LAUDABLE DESIRE NOT TO MOVE TOWARDS A 'WELFARE STATE' PHILOSOPHY TENDS TO INFLUENCE OUR DUTY AS A GOVERNMENT TO TAKE THE LEAD IN PROVIDING THE BEST POSSIBLE CARE FOR THOSE WHO CANNOT FEND FOR THEMSELVES OR WHO HAVE REAL SOCIAL PROBLEMS+.
HE ADDED THAT THE PROPORTION OF GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON SOCIAL WELFARE SERVICES WAS COMPARATIVELY SMALL.
+GREAT STRIDES COULD BE MADE WITH SMALL INCREASES WITHOUT PUTTING AT RISK THE WORK ETHIC OF OUR PEOPLE.
+SOME INCREASES IN THE STRENGTH OF THE CIVIL SERVICE IN CERTA IN AREAS WOULD ALSO BE REQUIRED BUT, IN MY VIEW, THESE INCREASES WOULD ALSO REPRESENT VALUE FOR MONEY, HE SAID.
ON CIVIL SERVICE SALARY LEVELS, MK FORD AGREED THAT A MAJOR CONSIDERATION WAS THE PRINCIPLE OF FAIR COMPARISON WITH PAY FOR COMPARABLE EMPLOYMENT IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.
+BUT I MUST ADD THAT CIVIL SERVICE SALARIES SHOULD BE SUFFICIENT TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN CANDIDATES OF THE RIGHT CALIBRE IF WE ARE TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC WITH AN EFFICIENT SERVICE WITH HIGH MORALE, HE SAID.
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NOTING THE COMMMENTS ON THE SYSTEM OF ANNUAL INCREMENTS, MR FORD SAID INCREMENTS WERE AWARDED IN RECOGNITION OF SERVICE GIVEN AND EXPERIENCE GAINED, AND COULD BE STOPPED OR DEFERRED ON GROUNDS OF MISCONDUCT OR LACK OF DILIGENCE.
HE ALSO POINTED OUT THERE WERE REAL DIFFICULTIES INVOLVED IN APPLYING AN INDUCEMENT AWARD RELATED TO PERFORMANCE TO THE CIVIL SERVICE, ALTHOUGH HE DID NOT RULE OUT ITS POSSIBILITY.
ON PROMOTION CRITERIA, MR FORD SAID: +CIVIL SERVICE POLICY ON PROMOTION IS NOT BASED ON HOW FEW MISTAKES ONE MAKES BUT ON ABILITY, EXPERIENCE AND PERFORMANCE IN SHORT, ON MERIT. +
MR FORD ALSO SAID TRAINING WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE PROCESS OF INCREASING PRODUCTIVITY BY AIMING TO ENSURE THAT THE POTENTIAL OF STAFF WAS FULLY DEVELOPED AND USED.
+THERE IS, FOR EXAMPLE, PROVISION OF $57 MILLION IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES TO ENABLE THE CIVIL SERVICE TRAINING CENTRE TO PROVIDE THIS YEAR TRAINING FOR 8 000 OFFICERS TO IMPROVE THE IR PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL PERFORMANCE, 12 000 OFFICERS TO IMPROVE THE IR GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE AND MANAGERIAL ABILITY AND 8 000 OFFICERS TO IMPROVE THE IR LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION SKILLS, + HE SAID.
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