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Employment of persons with criminal records guidelines
The following is a question by the Hon Albert Chan Wai-yip and a written reply by the Secretary for Civil Service, Mr Michael Sze, in the Legislative Council today (Wednesday):
Question:
According to the guidelines on the employment of persons with criminal records (issued on 8 December 1986 by the Appointments Unit in the then Municipal Services Branch), candidates with records of the following offences should normally be debarred from employment: (i) security (e.g. riot, incitement, triad activities); (ii) corruption, extortion and fraud; (iii) possession of offensive weapons; (iv) robbery; (v) possession of drugs for trafficking; (vi) sexual offences (e.g. rape); (vii) wounding and assault occasioning actual bodily harm; and (viii) operating a common gaming house. In this connection, will the Administration inform this Council:
(a) whether the above guidelines are still in force; if so, what are the reasons for such a policy to continue, and whether it will review this policy so as to give people with the above-mentioned criminal records a chance to be employed in less sensitive posts such as workman, clerk, and office assistant; and
(b) if the answer to (a) is in the negative, what is the current policy on the
employment of people with criminal records in the civil service?
Answer:
Mr President,
The "Guidelines for the Employment of Persons with Criminal Records" issued by the former Municipal Services Branch in December 1986 are still in force for appointments to the Urban Services Department and Regional Services Department. These Guidelines are in line with the Government policy on employment of persons with a criminal record and indeed based on the relevant Civil Service Regulations, namely Civil Service Regulations 148 and 151.