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Constitution and Administration

Administration and during the year was directed to give support to the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund Task Force.

The unit runs the 1823 integrated call service for government and the youth portal of the Gov. HK website. These projects provide insight into emerging public demands and trends in the way that the younger generation want to interact with public services, helping the unit to develop ideas for adapting and improving services to meet community needs.

Advisory and Statutory Bodies

About 5,100 members of the public serve on the roughly 460 advisory and statutory bodies. which are a distinctive feature of the system of government. These bodies tap professional expertise in the community and enable public participation in government decision-making. Through these bodies, a wide cross-section of the community and relevant organisations can participate in the initial stage of policy-making and public service planning. The government maintains a regular turnover of members to ensure wide participation and the inclusion of fresh perspectives.

The advisory bodies' areas of activities are wide-ranging. Some, such as the Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Fisheries, deal with the interests of a particular industry. Others, such as the Transport Advisory Committee, advise on a particular area of government policy. Statutory bodies, such as the Hospital Authority, have legal powers and responsibilities to perform specific functions in accordance with the relevant legislation.

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 162,400 (excluding about 1,500 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

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