TNAG-0916-FCO40-1127-Policy-on-salaries-and-pensions-for-civil-servants-in-Hong-K-1979 — Page 183

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This section concludes, in paragraphs 42 and 43, with two related and important recommendations which make it clear that the intention of this system is to reduce the wide differences in the pay scales of ranks requiring the same educational qualifications for entry. The recommendations are that there should be considerable "broadbanding", by which it is meant that minor differences should not be reflected in pay scales, and that the higher the ranks being dealt with the more broadbanding should be possible. It is considered that recommendations on the pay of individual grades based on these principles should in the long-term greatly reduce the argument and discontent which currently centres around differences in the pay of grades which consider themselves to be related in some way. This has had the result that it is very difficult to alter any pay scale without giving rise to claims from a number of other grades that they too should have their scales adjusted.

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Career prospects. In this section, only recommendations (xix) and (xx) are general guidelines. The full views of the Commis- sion are set out in paragraphs 45 and 46, but in essence the recom- mendation is that posts or ranks should not be created solely to provide promotion opportunities for civil servants, and hence that the existing principle that promotion posts should normally be created only where there is a functional need should continue, More- over, existing non-functional promotion ranks should be functionalised or removed wherever this proves practicable.

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While the general conclusion is accepted, it is suggested that the Commission's opening remarks about-flexibility are particularly relevant here, as in a minority of grades non-functional ranks may - have a useful role to play. For example, there is no functional dis- tinction between the ranks of Senior Crown Counsel and Crown Counsel. These ranks were introduced because the 1959 Salaries Commission was opposed to the continuance of a lengthy time-scale (20 points) for professional officers and considered that there should be a pro- motion bar between Segments C and D of the then professional model scale. The Salaries Commission emphasised that there should be sufficient posts at the Segment D level to "meet the needs of depart- ments and to be within the reach of all officers worthy of promotion at the appropriate time". At the same time, it is recognised that the introduction of any new non-functional ranks would be liable to

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