Civil Service Branch
Civil Service Consultation Document Civil Service Terms of Appointment & Conditions of Service
adjustment is necessary and reasonable because, unlike mortgage commitment which is fixed for ten years, a new tenancy agreement normally entails a rent increase. As a quid pro quo to the provision for periodic rate increases, it is proposed that the allowance should be 100% accountable. The rent allowance could be used to pay rents, rates, car-park charges and management fees. For officers on new agreement terms at MPS 33 or below, they would have to compete with other civil servants under the annual HPA quota.
3.24
For officers who are directly recruited from overseas, on first appointment they may be provided with hotel accommodation in the first month to allow time to lease. accommodation. Additional assistance in the form of interest-free loan could be considered on application to cover rent deposits and other settlement costs.
3.25
Officers on new agreement terms could opt to join the HFA/HPA scheme any time during the agreement if they so wished, in which case the amount of allowance would be fixed for the balance of the ten-year period.
3.26
An officer on new agreement terms who is successful in transferring to new P&P terms would cease to be eligible for the rent allowance and would be given six months in which to buy a property to join the HFA/HPA scheme and to receive the appropriate allowance for the balance of the ten-year period. The officer would be eligible for a downpayment loan.
Education Assistance
Rationale
3.27
At present, there are three forms of assistance viz. Overseas Education Allowance (OEA), Local Education Allowance (LEA) and school passages.
3.28
The OEA Scheme was introduced originally to facilitate recruitment of overseas officers at a time when there were no international schools in Hong Kong. The Scheme was later extended to local officers (except staff on temporary terms of employment) mainly on grounds of parity. In addition, school passages are provided, at the rate of two return passages per annum for children under 19 (or one return passage per annum for children between 19 and 21), to enable them to return to Hong Kong for family reunion.
3.29
Over the years, there have been significant improvements in the quality and the level of provision of education in Hong Kong. There are now sufficient school places for all students up to Form III; tertiary education is also being expanded. Against this background, the case for retaining the OEA Scheme for local officers has worn thin. The
No comments yet.
Private notes are available after approval.