ENG-2004 — Page 424

362 Public Order

The department also provides expeditious corruption prevention advice to government departments and public bodies when they formulate new legislation, policies or procedures. In 2004, the department undertook such consultation work on 289 occasions. As a follow-up to the reviews, the department also conducted training workshops and seminars for government and public sector employees to assist them in enhancing internal control

internal control measures in

measures in areas like procurement, contract administration and managing conflicts of interest, and to raise awareness corruption-prone areas.

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The Advisory Services Group of the department continued to proactively provide free and confidential corruption prevention advice to private sector organisations. In 2004, the group provided tailor-made advice on 369 occasions to help strengthen internal control systems and reduce possible abuses, and organised a seminar for the property management industry to promote best practices in the sector.

To help public and private sector organisations establish anti-corruption systems, the department continued to produce Best Practice Modules on corruption-prone areas such as procurement, contract administration, staff management, outsourcing and construction.

Community Education

The Community Relations Department is responsible for educating the public against the evils of corruption and enlisting the community's support in the anti- corruption drive through the media and educational programmes.

Maintaining a clean civil service remained a top priority for the department. In collaboration with the Civil Service Bureau, the department launched a two-year Civil Service Integrity Entrenchment Programme to help government departments foster a culture of probity. By the end of 2004, the department visited 25 government departments to map out tailor-made programmes to promote an ethical culture. In addition, integrity training was provided for over 18 800 civil servants of various ranks in 40 departments.

To uphold Hong Kong's competitive edge as an international financial centre, the department launched a two-year Business Ethics Promotion Programme in late 2003 to promote ethical management and good corporate governance among listed companies. In addition, a corruption prevention package was produced for businessmen engaged in cross-boundary trade. Corruption prevention seminars and workshops for the hotel industry, travel agents and retailers were organised during the year. The department also worked closely with other professional bodies, such as the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors, Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants, and Hong Kong Securities Institute, on training on ethical practices for their members.

Youth education has been an important area of the work of the department. During the year, the department conducted workshops on corporate governance for students of tertiary education institutions, and organised a competition for students to design web characters to promote positive values in partnership with secondary schools. The department continued to promulgate positive values among young