XN000022-1983-02-21 — Page 2

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 1983

WORKS AND SERVICES MUST BE KEPT UP: SIR PHILIP

THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO MAINTAIN MOMENTUM WITH RELATIVELY SCARCE RESOURCES AT ITS DISPOSAL, IN ORDER TO KEEP UP RECURRENT SERVICES AND PUSH FORWARD CAPITAL WORKS PROGRAMMES, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF A TWO-DAY CONFERENCE ON STAFF MANAGEMENT AT SHERATON HOTEL, SIR PHILIP SAID THIS HAPPENED TO BE AN OPPORTUNE TIME FOR SUCH A CONFERENCE BECAUSE +WE HAVE MOVED BACK INTO A PERIOD WHEN THE FINANCING OF THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNT IS AGAIN PARTLY DEPENDENT ON RECURRENT REVENUE+.

+THIS MEANS THAT WE SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD MANAGERS WHO ARE

WE NEED MANAGERS ONLY PREPARED TO COAST ALONG WITHIN THE SYSTEM. WITH INITIATIVE AND IMAGINATION, ABLE TO COPE WITH TODAY'S CONSTRAINTS AND TOMORROW'S CHALLENGES, HE SAID.

SIR PHILIP SAID THE CONFERENCE WAS OPPORTUNE ALSO FOR IT AFFORDS US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DEMONSTRATË, ON BEHALF OF ALL MEMBERS OF THE HONG KONG CIVIL SERVICE, THAT WE ARE TOGETHER COMMITTED TO THE PURSUIT OF THE PUBLIC INTEREST AND THE PUBLIC GOOD, AND EVEN MORE SO, IN TEMPORARILY DIFFICULT AND UNCERTAIN TIMES+.

SIR PHILIP SAID THERE WERE NOW 170 003 CIVIL SERVANTS IN HONG KONG, MAKING UP 6-1/2 PER CENT OF THE WORKFORCE AND 1/30TH OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION.

+THIS MEANS 170 000 INDIVIDUAL MEN AND WOMEN, EACH WITH THEIR CWN TALENTS AND SKILLS AND EACH THEREFORE IN A POSITION TO MAKE A POSITIVE CONTRIBUTION TOWARDS THE PROVISION OF AN EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE PUBLIC SERVICE TO THIS CITY AND THIS COMMUNITY. +

THE TASK AND OBLIGATION OF THOSE OFFICERS RESPONSIBLE FCR STAFF MANAGEMENT IN THE CIVIL SERVICE WERE TO PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK AND CLIMATE WITHIN WHICH EACH MEMBER OF THE CIVIL SERVICE COULD MAKE HIS OR HER FULL CONTRIBUTION, DEVELOPING AT THE SAME TIME HIS OR HER TALENTS AND SKILLS, SIR PHILIP SAID.

J

THE SECRETARY FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE, MR MARTIN ROWLANDS, WHO ALSO SPOKE AT THE OPENING, SAID THE CONFERENCE WOULD HELP REALISE THE GOAL OF BRINGING TOGETHER SENIOR STAFF FROM WITHIN THE CIVIL SERVICE, FROM THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY, FROM ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES OF CIVIL SERVICE STAFF ASSOCIATIONS SO THAT THEY COULD APPLY THEIR COMBINED EXPERIENCE TO SOME OF THE PROBLEMS OF STAFF MANAGEMENT 13 A PUBLIC SECTOR ORGANISATION THE SIZE OF THE CIVIL SERVICE.

MR ROWLANDS SAID THE CIVIL SERVICE TRAINING CENTRE WAS

IN ALREADY PLAYING AN METH TANT PART IN ASSISTING MANAGERS JY GAINING A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF TAFF MANAGEMENT, AND THE CONFERENCE WAS A FURTHER MAJOR STEP

THE PROCESS.