TNAG-1012-FCO40-1262-Address-by-Sir-Murray-MacLehose--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--at-t-1981 — Page 63

- .47

THE PUBLIC SERVICE

141.

Your Government has continued to put a great deal of effort

into building an effective, committed and well trained Public Service,

and to improving conditions and staff relations in it. In this a key

part has been played by tho.new and independent Commission on Civil

Service Salaries and Conditions of Service under the successive and···

very able Chairmanships of Sir Y.K. Kan and Sir S.Y. Chung. Its work

is both hard and painstaking and it is steadily rationalising the

structure and salary levels of the Service. Amongst the new measures

introduced I should like to mention the proposed establishment of a

central consultative council for junior civil servants, the setting-up of more departmental staff consultative councils and the creation

of "new staff relations and management units in the larger departments.

142. Last year, I mentioned that proposals for a home purchase

scheme for public servants as an alternative option to rent allowances,

would shortly be put to the Executive Council. Details of the Scheme

have now been announced and it will be implemented before the end of

It is a new departure and we must see how it works out in

But I am convinced

the year.

practice under present financial circumstances.

that the scheme is right in principle.

143.

་ ! ་

In March, the Civil Servants Finance Advisory Office was established to deal with the long-standing problem of indo btedness in

the public service. In the first six months of its operation, 3,019 "applications were received and over $38.5 million worth of loans were

recommended by the Office to the participating banks for financing.

The object of this scheme is to free civil servants from the clutches

of loan sharks with obvious benefit for themselves their families and

the public service.

/144. ...