TNAG-0916-FCO40-1127-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-servants-in-Hong-K-1979 — Page 128

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

73.

This First Report by the Standing Commission on Principles and Practices is an endeavour to establish standards to use for our initial review of individual grades.

74.

In arriving at our conclusions we have been assisted by the encouraging response from a wide representative range of civil servants a total of 724 submissions. We were also impressed by many of the views and the bearing of the representatives we have met in the course of our visits to Departments. We would therefore first like to express our thanks to the Civil Service at large for their assistance and responsible reaction to the requests made by the Commission for information. We have also been impressed by the various staff organisations including departmental consultative councils in their meetings with us.

75.

Our thanks are due to representatives of the private sector who have willingly given up their time to provide advice and opinions on the problems facing the Commission. This help has been given mainly by the leading employers' organisations as well as the Labour Advisory Board.

76.

We are also grateful to those Heads of Departments and Branches who have written to us about their organisations and problems and have had meetings with the Commission.

77.

Our first six months' work would have taken much longer had it not been for the information supplied to us by the Civil Service Branch. This first survey has given rise to many detailed enquiries which have been answered in briefs and papers produced efficiently by the various Divisions of the Branch. We would like to express our thanks for this and for the part played by Mr. N.W.H. Macleod, the Senior Liaison Officer with the Administration, and his staff.

78.

We would like to express our thanks to the Secretary- General, Mr. P.B. Williams, and the staff of the Commission's Secretariat for their hard work, efficient coordination and planning of our activities during the first six months of our work. From February to May 1979, before leased offices were ready in Marina House, working conditions in temporary offices in the Government Secretariat were cramped. These did not however diminish the staff's enthusiasm and output.

79.

The initial drafting of this report was undertaken by Mr. K.O. Shipley and we would like to express our thanks for his care and competence in carrying out this task.