XN000022-1995-03-29 — Page 33

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9.

Both the Hon Emily Lau and the Hon Tang Siu-tong questioned whether civil servants were worth their pay. The government's aim is, and must remain, to be a good employer, to attract and retain individuals of quality, who are committed to serving the community. The fact that it is generally recognised that we have an efficient and effective civil service points to the success of this policy. But if we are to maintain this situation, we must provide a remuneration package that both Government officials - and the community which pays us feel is reasonable.

We regularly review this package, and I believe that it is broadly appropriate to the circumstances of today. But we are aware of changing private sector practice and the need to modernise our terms and conditions of service. The new Common Terms of appointment, which we intend to implement as soon as possible following agreement with the Chinese side, recognise that some of our terms are out of date. To give one example, we do not propose to provide overseas education allowances to new appointees when the new Common Terms are implemented. But we need to maintain the morale and the integrity of the civil service in the next few crucial years ahead and beyond that. Reducing benefits just for the sake of it would surely be counter- productive.

Equal Opportunities

I fully agree with the Hon Anna Wu that in principle each individual should be given an equal opportunity in society. But anti-discrimination legislation is a relatively new area of law in Hong Kong. It will affect practically every individual in almost all areas of activity. The social and economic implications of such legislation are real and significant and should not be overlooked.

We therefore consider it only sensible to adopt a step by step approach. We have identified a clear need for legislation against discrimination on the grounds of sex and disability, and two Bills have been prepared to that effect We will also set up a statutory Equal Opportunities Commission to take on the enforcement functions provided in this legislation.

As far as other types of discrimination are concerned, we do not think it is wise to proceed down the legislative route without first having had a chance to examine in detail whether action is really needed in these areas, and if so, what the best approach would be. In this regard, I believe that Members are particularly concerned about three types of discrimination on the grounds of age, family status and sexual preference. The Government is prepared to look into these three areas. As a first step, we propose to carry out research to determine whether a problem exists in these areas, and if so what the size and nature of the problem is.