TNAG-0874-FCO40-1084-Legislation-for-births--deaths-and-adoption-in-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 73

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CONFIDENTIAL

XCC(76)82

Objections to Amalgamation

12

problems:

Amalgamation of the two departments might involve the following

(a) employing differently graded and paid staff on essentially the same job would lead to higher staff costs and dis- satisfaction by the lower-paid executive and clerical grade staff currently employed by Registration of Persons.

Comment

However:

(i)

there would be a need to strengthen supervision in the Registration of Persons Department, which would involve higher staff costs, whether or not the two departments were amalgamated; and (ii) Immigration Department is already employing

executive and clerical grade staff and there has been no difficulty or dissatisfaction. ;

(b) the concentration of immigration and Registration of

Persons functions might lead to increased opportunities for corruption.

Comment

The Commissioner Against Corruption has, however, concluded that opportunities for corruption could equally exist in two different depart- ments, with the additional risk of one department being played off against the other. On balance, the advantage seems to lie in having a single de- partment, with suitable safeguards built into departmental procedures.

(c) Possibly the Immigration Department, dealing chiefly

with matters relating to immigration, is not suitable

to take over the Registration of Persons Department, one of whose main functions is to provide a central records service to other Government departments.

Comment

However amalgamation would result in a department dealing with both immigration and registration work, and other departments' access to registration of persons records would not suffer. In fact, Immigration and Registration of Persons records would be maintained independently, with a view to enabling their gradual assimilation to the Data Base for the entire population.

CONFIDENTIAL

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