ENG-1965 — Page 330

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

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The growth has been accompanied by a determined effort to fill as many posts as possible with local candidates, particularly in more senior grades which have in the past been staffed largely by overseas officers. Between 1964 and 1965 the percentage of administrative and professional posts filled by local officers increased from 46.3 per cent to 46.6 per cent. In 1960, it was 38.6 per cent. Over the Service as a whole, the percentage of overseas officers is 2.9 per cent.

Training of local staff forms an important part of the programme and the Training and Examinations Unit has expanded its activities since its establishment in 1961. During the year ending 31st March 1965, the unit ran a total of 90 courses centrally, attended by 1,248 trainees. In addition, 148 local officers were sent overseas during the year to obtain professional qualifications and training.

The Public Services Commission continued to play a valuable part in maintaining standards in the Public Service, by advising on the qualifications to be prescribed for various posts and on the selection of candidates for appointment. In 1962 a Selection Board was set up in London to enable persons of Hong Kong origin_studying in the United Kingdom to apply for posts in the Hong Kong Public Service. More recently, the board has dealt with advertisements for experienced professional officers from Hong Kong who were working in the United Kingdom. This is regarded as a practical way of ensuring that everything possible is done to fill vacancies with persons whose roots are in Hong Kong and who have had the benefit of overseas education or training. Where overseas staff has to be recruited, government's normal policy is to appoint them on contract terms, pensionable terms being offered only if suitable local candidates are unlikely to become available in the foreseeable future.

A Salaries Commission was appointed in the early part of the year, under the chairmanship of Sir Gordon Hadow, CMG, OBE. The terms of reference of the Commission required it to submit recommendations on the general level of salaries of the main groups of employees in the Public Service excluding the salaries of individual grades and posts, and also on certain other matters. The Commission was also required to submit, as a first requirement, an interim report in respect of appropriate substantive adjustments in the general level of salaries from 1st July 1963 to 31st August

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