TNAG-1136-FCO40-1416-Address-by-Sir-Edward-Youde--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-the-L-1982 — Page 129

aze afficiently serviced and that

serviced and that Government departments ar properly and rationally housed. By next year all branchoe of the Government Secretariat, with only, two exceptiong, will be housed in the Central Government Building,

140.

(2) Tho Public Service

two wiu1 pe

I believe the Hong Kong Civil Service to be assiduous and well motivated, but I ́ am aware of the concern among Honourable Members that it has expanded too rapidly. The total ostablishment has grown from 98,000 posts in 1972 to nearly

170,000 posto in April this year. Since these figures encompass the staff of the Police Force, the Housing Department, the Urban Services Department, the

the various

departments and the modical and nuraing servicec, thie expansion of the civil service de hardly surprising in view of the growth in volume and coope of the Government's activitios

in these areas.

141.

As the Government's servicos to the community

works

are

laprovad, apme growth in the public service will still be

required. But the rate of growth must now be slowed down; and, as an overall guideline, a ceiling of no more than 48 to

5t has been set on the growth of the establishment of the public service for the current financial year, as against the upper limit of 10% allowed for in the printed estimates, Το help achieve this, tighter controls have been introduced on the creation of new posts. The Government also intends to place a ronowed emphasis on the value-for-money criterion: to move away from the habit of automatically refilling poots whenever they become vacant through retiremont or other reasons; and to keep under critical review the oize

•

public service as a whole.

and composition of the

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/142.

Further