TNAG-1726-FCO40-2439-Minutes-and-Hansards-of-the-Legislative-Council-of-Hong-Kong-1988 — Page 251

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Officers other than pensioners employed by the Government on agreement terms are not required to obtain prior approval to join the private sector upon expiry of their contracts. Apart

Apart from acting as a a possible disincentive to recruitment, the imposition of rules similar to those governing

governing pensionable officers on agreement officers would give rise to legal questions. Legal advice is that, in the event of legal action, any restrictions of the kind would be examined strictly by the courts for their reasonableness in relation to the circumstances of the particular individual. Consistent application of such

difficult to achieve.

restrictions could therefore be

The Government already takes measures to ensure the sufficient supply of suitable officers through annual directorate succession planning. In this process, which the Civil Service Branch co-ordinates, officers with potential, avenues for their advancement, and their training needs are identified and their development path is planned. At the same time, the promotion and transfer of staff to fill senior posts is forecast and planned. Furthermore, the Government's existing practice is that the renewal of the contracts of agreement officers is normally arranged, where appropriate, eight to ten months before expiry. This normally provides sufficient lead time to enable replacements to be identified in good time in cases where contracts are not being renewed.