ENG-2006 — Page 50

22 Constitution and Administration

As part of its ongoing efforts to embed a culture of probity in the civil service, the Civil Service Bureau, in collaboration with the Independent Commission Against Corruption and the Works Branch of the Environment, Transport and Works Bureau drew up an enhanced integrity management programme for its works departments. The Civil Service Bureau has further enriched the reference materials available on the electronic Resource Centre on Integrity Management accessible online to officers responsible for integrity management in bureaux and departments. In December 2006, the Civil Service Bureau and the Independent Commission Against Corruption. jointly launched an ethical leadership programme to strengthen further civil service integrity and ethics.

Official Languages

Chinese and English are the official languages of Hong Kong. It is the Government's policy to develop and maintain a civil service that is proficient in both written Chinese and English and conversant in Cantonese, Putonghua and spoken English. While major documents of public interest issued by the Government are available in both languages, correspondence with individual members of the public is always in the language appropriate to the recipient.

The Official Languages Division of the Civil Service Bureau monitors the implementation of the Government's language policy in the civil service. It offers a wide range of language support services to government bureaux and departments. Besides providing translation, interpretation, drafting and editing services, the division also facilitates the effective use of official languages in the civil service by providing it with language research and advisory support. This includes the provision of a telephone hotline for answering questions on language use; compilation of writing aids and reference materials, such as guidebooks on official Chinese writing and English-Chinese glossaries of terms commonly used in government departments; and the holding of language-related activities such as seminars and competitions. Furthermore, a quarterly publication on language and culture, entitled Word Power is distributed to all departments. Some of the publications and reference materials produced by the division can be found on the Civil Service Bureau website www.csb.gov.hk.

Government Records Service

The Government Records Service (GRS) manages government records and provides a range of records and archival management services. GRS develops and oversees the implementation of records management policies and systems. It gives guidance and provides training to government departments on best practice in records management. It operates two Records Centres for storage of inactive government records and an ISO 9001:2000 certified Microfilm Centre providing microfilming services for government departments and agencies.

With the growing need for proper management of electronic records, GRS is currently studying the feasibility of managing multi-media records and materials through electronic record-keeping systems.