Public Service Commission Annual Report 2000
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Public Service Commission Annual Report 2000 Contents I. Foreword .......................................................................................................1 II. The Public Service Commission Remit.......................................................3 III. Mission and Performance Target ...............................................................4 IV. Membership and Secretariat of the Commission ....................................5 V. Recruitment, Promotion and Discipline.....................................................7 VI. Civil Service Reform...................................................................................14 VII. Disciplinary Policy and Procedures .........................................................16 VIII. General Observations by the Commission on Departments’ Overall Performance.........................................................19 IX. Public Service Commission Recommendations ....................................22 X. Case Studies...............................................................................................25 XI. Visits and Events.........................................................................................28 XII. Acknowledgements ..................................................................................28 Appendices Appendix 1 Remit of the Public Service Commission...................................29 Appendix 2 Submissions with Revised Recommendations after the Commission Secretariat’s Observations ....................30 Appendix 3 Biographies of the Chairman and Members of the Public Service Commission ............................31 Appendix 4 Organisation of the Public Service Commission Secretariat..33 Appendix 5 Promotions/Appointments to the Senior Directorate (D3 and above) in 2000 ..............................34 Appendix 6 Breakdown of Appointments, Promotions (by salary group) and Related Matters in 2000........................35 I. Foreword – 50th Anniversary The Year 2000 marked the 50th Anniversary of the Public Service Commission. A golden milestone. Our records show that the Commission’s advice has always been accepted by the Administration. This 100% record is significant on two counts: first, because it demonstrates the government’s unswerving commitment to recognize and respect the raison d’être of the Commission - to offer independent advice on appointment, promotion and disciplinary matters. And second, our belief that this has led to confidence in the Commission on the part of civil servants. Why and how was the Commission established? This is perhaps best answered by an extract from the Introduction to the 1954-6 Public Services Commission Annual Report – “The Commission held its first meeting on August 17th, 1950 following the enactment of the Public Services Commission Ordinance on June 30th, 1950. The establishment of such a Commission was advocated in the Salaries Commission Report of 1947 on the recommendation contained in White Paper Colonial 197 that a Public Services Commission should be set up to advise the Governor on the selection and appointment of candidates to posts in the public services with a view to ensuring increased confidence both Front page of the enabling Ordinance in the service and among the public …….” It is interesting to note that in 1979 our formal name was amended from Public Services Commission to Public Service Commission. This more accurately reflects the point that the Commission does not provide “services” per se but, rather, is a Commission dealing with the Public Service. Serving Members and I pay tribute to our predecessors and acknowledge their tremendous input and initiative which has laid the foundation on which the Commission’s role and repute has been built. In appreciation, former Membership is listed on the opposite page. It is also noteworthy that the role and work of the Commission has been unaffected by the Transition. The Commission is encouraged that the Administration continues to value our input and accept our advice. On our part we remain committed in discharging our responsibilities independently. - 1 - Membership of Public Service Commission since 1950 Chairman Period Mr T Megarry 8/1950 – 3/1951 Mr Justice E H Williams 6/1952 – 5/1953 Mr Justice T J Gould 5/1953 – 11/1953 Mr J R Jones1 11/1953 – 1/1959 Mr R C Lee2 1/1959 – 7/1959 Mr E R Childe, JP3 7/1959 – 5/1965 Mr M S Cumming, JP4 6/1965 – 5/1967 Mr Charles Hartwell, JP 5/1967 – 11/1971 Mr Ronald Holmes, JP 11/1971 – 5/1977 Mr Donald Luddington 5/1977 – 3/1978 Mr I M Lightbody 3/1978 – 10/1980 Mr Li Fook-kow, JP 10/1980 – 5/1987 Mr E P Ho, JP 5/1987 – 6/1991 Mr Augustine Chui Kam, JP 6/1991 – 7/1996 Members Period Mr Man Kam Lo5 8/1952 - 11/1952 Mr A V Farmer 5/1953 – 4/1954 Mr L B Stone 10/1954 – 1/1957 Mr J Dickson Leach 12/1958 – 4/1963 Mr Y K Kan 7/1959 – 6/1961 Dr P C Woo, JP 6/1961 – 8/1964 Mr Li Fook Wo, JP 8/1964 – 3/1970 Mr J B H Leckie 6/1965 – 3/1966 Mr H J C Browne, JP 3/1966 – 5/1968 Mr K I Coullie, JP 5/1968 – 5/1972 Mr Lo Tak-sing, GBM, JP 10/1969 – 7/1974 Mr J H Bremridge, JP 2/1972 – 7/1974 Mr J J Swaine, JP 7/1974 – 9/1980 Mr Paul Tsui Ka-cheung, JP 7/1974 – 7/1980 Mr Leslie Lothian Sung, JP 12/1978 – 12/1986 Dr Victor Fung Kwok-king 7/1980 – 7/1993 Mr P A L Vine, JP 10/1980 – 9/1987 Mr Graham Cheng Cheng-hsun, JP 11/1980 – 11/1984 Mr Robert Kwok Chin-kung, JP 11/1984 – 10/1990 Mr Philip Wong Kin-hang, JP 10/1986 – 9/1995 Mr P J Thompson, JP 10/1987 – 9/1998 Mr Steven Poon Kwok-lim, JP 11/1990 – 9/1991 Mrs Eleanor Ling Ching-man, JP 2/1992 – 1/1996 Mr James Tien Pei-chun, JP 5/1992 – 6/1993 Miss Eleanor Wong Bei-lee, JP 5/1994 – 12/1995 Note (1) Mr J R Jones first served as a Member during the period 8/1950-11/1953 and as acting Chairman during the period 4/1951-6/1952 (2) Mr R C Lee first served as a Member during the period 11/1952-1/1959 (3) Mr E R Childe, JP first served as a Member during the period 1/1957-7/1959 (4) Mr M S Cumming, JP first served as a Member during the period 3/1963-6/1965 (5) Mr Man Kam Lo also served as acting Chairman during the period 3/1951-4/1951 - 2 - II. The Public Service Commission Remit The Commission was established in 1950 as an independent statutory body. Our fundamental role is to advise the Chief Executive on appointments and promotions to the senior ranks of the public service. This covers posts with a maximum salary of $33,705 a month or more, up to and including Directors of Bureau, Heads of Department and officers of similar status. (Appendix 1) The Commission derives its powers from the Public Service Commission Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations (Chapter 93 of the Laws of Hong Kong). As at the end of 2000, the number of established public service posts under the Commission’s purview was 35 612. Other Functions The Commission’s advice is also sought on the following matters : l representations from officers on matters falling within the Commission’s statutory responsibilities and in which the officers have a direct and definable interest; l deferment/termination of probationary/trial service; l employment on agreement terms; l disciplinary cases on all Category A officers (Note 1) with the exception of exclusions specified in the Public Service Commission Ordinance (Appendix 1). Notwithstanding this, the Commission has indicated its readiness to advise on disciplinary cases concerning probationers and agreement officers under the mechanism of the Public Service (Administration) Order. In addition the Commission is required to advise on any matter relating to the public service that may be referred to us by the Chief Executive. Note 1 : Under the Pension Benefits Regulations, Cap. 99A of the Laws of Hong Kong, “Category A Officer” means an officer who is appointed to an established office and who occupied in an established office at the time of his retirement or resignation from the service. This covers virtually all officers except those on probation, agreement and those remunerated on the Model Scale I Pay Scale. Monitoring Role The Commission’s role is advisory. It has no executive powers. The Civil Service Bureau and government departments are responsible for conducting recruitment and promotion exercises as well as interviews and for putting their recommendations to the Commission for advice. The Commission however maintains a watching brief to ensure that the selection process is carried out fairly, meticulously and thoroughly. Departments are required to clarify or justify their recommendations in response to the Commission’s observations. The Commission also draws departments’ attention to deviations from established procedures/practices and staff management issues identified during the processing of submissions and, where appropriate, recommends measures to deal with these problems. - 3 - In 2000 the Commission advised on 1 069 submissions covering recruitment and promotion exercises, discipline cases and other appointment-related subjects. 430 submissions were queried, resulting in 181 re-submissions (42%) with recommendations revised by the Civil Service Bureau and departments after taking into account the Commission Secretariat’s observations. A statistical breakdown of these cases is given in Appendix 2. Human Resource Management : Policy and Initiatives The Commission continued to act as a “think tank” to the Secretary for the Civil Service. The Commission’s views are sought on policy and procedural issues pertaining to appointments, promotions and discipline as well as on a wide range of subjects relating to the review