ENG-1990 — Page 58

CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

Recruitment and promotions to the middle and senior ranks of the Public Service are subject to the advice of the Public Service Commission which is independent of the government. The commission has a full-time chairman and leading citizens serving as members.

The government is advised on matters relating to pay and conditions of service by four independent bodies. The Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service advises on matters affecting directorate officers (the 1 000 or so most senior public servants). The committee's recommendations for a restructuring of the directorate pay scale, which were made in its 10th Report published in June 1989, were approved by the government in March 1990.

The Standing Committee on Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service advises on matters affecting judicial officers. The committee's recommendations for a restructuring of the judicial officers salary scale were approved by the government in March 1990.

The Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service advises on the salaries and conditions of service of the disciplined services. Since its establishment in February 1989, the committee has considered 70 submissions from the disciplined services and the Administration. The committee's recommendations on pay for the rank-and-file and the officer ranks were accepted by the government in September and December 1990.

The Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service advises on matters affecting all other public servants. In March 1989, the commission started an overall review of the salary structure of all grades under its purview. It published the first and second reports on the review in October 1989 and March 1990 respectively. The government has accepted the recommendations in these reports concerning the principles and practices governing civil service pay and the salary structure of some 126 individual grades. In December, the commission submitted its final report covering the remaining 216 grades. These recommendations are being considered by the government.

A new civil service housing package was introduced in October 1990, after consultation with staff and the advisory bodies on civil service salaries and conditions of service. The objectives of the new housing package are to make more effective use of the resources provided for civil service housing benefits and to encourage home ownership among public servants. The new housing package comprises a new Home Financing Scheme, a new Accommodation Allowance Scheme and an improved Home Purchase Scheme.

The government fully recognises the value of good staff relations in the public service. Apart from providing a wide range of welfare and recreational facilities to staff, much effort is devoted to the promotion of effective staff consultation. In addition to the two service-wide central consultative councils (the Senior Civil Service Council and the Model Scale 1 Staff Consultative Council) and the Police Force Council, a Disciplined Services Consultative Council was established in February 1990 for members of the disciplined services other than the police force. These councils together with departmental consultative committees for staff in all departments constitute the formal consultative machinery. Outside these councils and committees, individual members of the public service or staff associations have ready access to their heads of department or grade as well as the Civil Service Branch. Recommendations made in a 1989 report by the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service on further improvements to the consultative machinery in the public service are being implemented.

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