XN000022-1988-07-08 — Page 5

FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1988

"LONG MAY IT REMAIN SO BECAUSE THEIR EXPERIENCE IS DIFFICULT TO REPLACE. IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE, WE CERTAINLY CANNOT. AND INDEED WOULD NOT, TRY TO BUY IN REPLACEMENTS BY OFFERING HIGH SALARIES OR HEFTY SIGN-ON BONUSES.

"

CONCLUDING, SIR DAVID SAID THAT ALTHOUGH THE STYLE AND SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT MIGHT BE CHANGING, THE PACE REMAINED AS DYNAMIC AS EVER. DYNAMIC, NOT ONLY IN TERMS OF THE PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HONG KONG, BUT ALSO IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SERVICES.

BUT, OF COURSE, THE

POWER HOUSE WAS FUELLED BY A BUOYANT ECONOMY AND THAT, IN TURN, BY THE EFFORTS OF HONG KONG PEOPLE.

SPEAKING TO REPORTERS AFTERWARDS, SIR DAVID SAID WASTAGE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE OVER THE LAST TEN YEARS HAS BEEN ON A VERY EVEN KEEL, AND HAS NOT MATCHED THE UPSURGE IN EMIGRATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR.

HE SAID OVERALL WASTAGE IN THE CIVIL SERVICE WAS ABOUT FOUR PER CENT, COMPARED TO THE PRIVATE SECTOR FIGURE OF ABOUT TEN PER CENT,

"OBVIOUSLY IN SOME AREAS THERE HAVE BEEN GREATER FIGURES THAN THAT,

IN PARTICULAR WHERE OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE MADE ATTRACTIVE OFFERS TO PARTICULAR CIVIL SERVANTS, BUT IN BROAD TERMS, THE FIGURE IS LOWER THAN IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND I THINK VERY ENCOURAGING TOO, DAVID SAID.

*

SIR

SERVANTS WOULD HAVE AN

EXTREMELY

HE STRESSED THAT CIVIL IMPORTANT ROLE IN HONG KONG AFTER 1997.

HE SAID: "THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT WILL TO BE VERY IMPORTANT IN THE FUTURE AS IT HAS BEEN IN THE THAT DEPENDS UPON OUR CIVIL SERVANTS STAYING IN PLACE AND THE SORT OF SERVICE THEY PROVIDE NOW."

CONTINUE

PAST AND PROVIDING

"I THINK THERE IS A GREAT DEAL OF LOYALTY WITHIN THE AND I AM SURE THAT THE MAJORITY OF THEM WILL FEEL THAT LOYALTY CARRY THEM THROUGH BEYOND 1997," HE SAID.

SERVICE SHOULD

ASKED IF THE GOVERNMENT HAS ANY CONTINGENCY PLAN IN CASE OF LARGE NUMBERS OF CIVIL SERVANTS LEAVING, SIR DAVID SAID THERE WERE OPTIONS OPEN.

IF THAT EVENTUALITY SHOULD OCCUR AND VACANCIES WERE STILL LEFT UNFILLED AFTER LOCAL RECRUITMENT, THE GOVERNMENT COULD RECRUIT OVERSEAS AS IT HAD BEEN DOING, HE ADDED.

"BUT IT IS NOT AN EVENTUALITY I THINK THAT IT IS WISE FOR BECAUSE I DON'T THINK IT IS GOING TO HAPPEN, THE CHIEF NOTED.

TO PLAN

SECRETARY

/"WE ARE