TNAG-0703-FCO40-868-Recruitment-policy-for-Hong-Kong-use-of-Colonial-Regulation--1978 — Page 8

3.

This policy has generally been applied

only to permanent and pensionable officers,

but it in our understanding that you have

agreed with Steff Associations that all officers

whatever their terms of service should be,

This is clearly stated in

considered for promotion on equal terms. Indeed-

Civil Service Regulation/109(1)(a). states

4.we

this clearly we do not disagree with your

localisation policy as set out in CSR100(13)4.

However once an overseas officer has been

appointed we do not see how you could

might

a policy which ea subordinate his prospects

to those of persons outside the Public Service-unless a

Preference could

properly

ald only. given to 10021

people outside the Publie Serbiee if expatriate

pensionable officers were given compensation

in the event of being passed over or prejudiced

in respect of their promotion prospects because

of a declared policy of localisation. Contract

staff may have no inherent right to the same

would almost protection, but they certainly expect it.

Thus if you wish to change your recruitment

policy it should be in a way that does not

prejudice unfairly either pensionable staff,

or existing contract staff during the periods

of their current contracts. We should wish to

look very closely at any proposal to institute

a compensation scheme or any other changes in

policy.

localisation polic

5. We are not clear on what basis you consider

some posts to be promotion posts and others

transfer posts. Clearly in the general grades

a system were introduced under which

NOTHING TO BE WRITTEN IN THIS MA

DSR 11C

such as Administrative or Executive, the catchment area

must be all-service. In others, such as police and

audit there will be a much narrower field./With the

professional groups the position is less klear. Taking

the post in question, Chief Quantity Surveyor in the

Housing Department, it seems over-restrictive to

seek to promote officers on a strictly departmental

basis, unless your regulations are unambiguously framed so as to specify that such promotions are made

from a departmental field only. Even in t'ese

circumstances we would have reservations about throwing

the post open to the public before a service-wide

trawl had been undertaken.

food that

your concern about 10calisat10

Estatel

may have been somewhat over. The problem

which you outline in para 7 of your t.u.r. is unlikely

to be widespread. In any case, if an officer is serving

on contract terms he would only fill a post which would

otherwise have been localised until the end of his

it corrible contract, when presumably he would be replaced by a

local officer-

A

6. We certainly appreciate the difficulty outlined in paragraph 2 of your telegram under reference. But the chances of this happening must bevery slight: there are swely very few

people uppatalos grades which have not yet been localized who can be considered to be "suitably qualified " for appontment or promotion to posts in grades that sies we susceptible to localisation.

Sh233

5

CHAPTER I APPOINTMENTS, ETC.

Cs2 109. Circumstances of substantive appointment

(1) Promotion: the normal method of filling a vacancy in a

promotion rank.

•

(a) Selection of officers for promotion over a promotion

bar (defined in CSR.100(21)) is decided on the criteri a of character and ability, any qualifications prescribed for the promotion rank, and experience; when on this basis, no candidate stands out clearly as the most suitable, seniority should be given due weight. All eligible officers, irrespective of their terms of service, are considered on equal terms. Officers who have less than twelve months' service to give before going on pre-retirement or terminal leave are not normally considered for promotion.

·

(b) Promotion over a promotion step (defined in CSR.100(22))

is based solely on character and ability, and any qualifications or experience prescribed for the upper

rank.

(2) Promotion on a personal basis: in these rules, a "specialist"

means an officer who has acquired knowledge and ability in a specialized academic, artistic or scientific discipline and has brought his specialized knowledge and abilities to his duties and has thus proved himself to be valuable to the Government beyond the loci renuti end