ENG-2012 — Page 42

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Constitution and Administration

The Civil Service

The civil service is a permanent, honest, meritocratic, professional and politically neutral institution, responsible to the Chief Executive. It supports the Government in formulating, explaining and implementing policies, conducting administrative affairs, delivering public services, and undertaking law enforcement and regulatory functions. It provides staff for all government departments and other units of the Administration. As at 31 December, the total strength of the civil service was 159,700 (excluding about 1,400 judges and judicial officers and Independent Commission Against Corruption officers), amounting to about 4.2 per cent of Hong Kong's labour force.

The Civil Service Bureau has overall policy responsibility for the management of the civil service, including appointments, pay and conditions of service, staff management, manpower planning, training and development and conduct and discipline. The bureau is also the focal point for consultation with major staff associations and manages a number of grades, including Administrative Officers, Executive Officers and clerical and secretarial staff. Management of the civil service is governed mainly by three instruments: the Public Service (Administration) Order, the Public Service (Disciplinary) Regulation and the Civil Service Regulations, all made with the authority of the Chief Executive.

The Chief Executive is advised on civil service appointments, promotions and discipline by the Public Service Commission, an independent statutory body set up under the Public Service Commission Ordinance. The Government is also advised on civil service pay and conditions of service by three independent bodies: the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service (directorate officers excluding judges and judicial officers and the disciplined services, but including the heads of the disciplined services); the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service (the disciplined services except the heads of the disciplined services); and the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service (SCCS) (all other civil servants).

The policy for civil service pay is to offer sufficient remuneration to attract, retain, and motivate staff of suitable calibre to provide the public with an effective, efficient and high quality service. In order that civil service pay can be regarded as fair and reasonable by both civil servants who provide the service and the public who foot the bill, the Government adopts the principle that civil service pay should be broadly comparable with private sector pay. Pay comparisons are achieved through periodic surveys: a Pay Level Survey is conducted every six years; a Starting Salaries Survey every three years; and a Pay Trend Survey every year. In 2012, the SCCS accepted the Administration's invitation to conduct the 2012 Starting Salaries Survey and the next Pay Level Survey.

In accordance with the Basic Law, public servants serving in all government departments of the HKSAR should be permanent residents of the HKSAR, save for those who fall within the exceptions provided in Article 99 and 101 of the Basic Law. This requirement applies to new recruits who joined the civil service on or after 1 July 1997.

Appointment to the civil service is based on open and fair competition which aims to recruit the most suitable person for the job. Promotion is performance-based and not a reward for

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