SCS commends outstanding civil servants (with photos)
8.11.2022

The Secretary for the Civil Service (SCS), Mrs Ingrid Yeung, commended 100 civil servants for their outstanding work performance at the SCS's Commendation Award Presentation Ceremony 2022 at the Central Government Offices today (November 8). The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, also attended the ceremony to extend his congratulations to the award recipients. He hoped that these award recipients, with their outstanding performance, could be role models for colleagues of the entire civil service in serving the public with dedication. Addressing the ceremony, Mrs Yeung said that the public has rising demands and expectations on the civil service. The civil service has to cope with a host of tough and unprecedented tasks, and is under considerable pressure in the process. However, civil servants continued to approach their work with commitment and courage in the face of difficulties, and give strong support to the Government in rising to the various challenges. "The civil service is the backbone of the Government. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government has been ranked among the top worldwide for its efficiency over the years, squarely reflecting the good qualities of the civil service," she said. "To allow members of the community to know more about the 'good stories' of the civil service, the Chief Executive announced in his Policy Address last month that the 'Chief Executive's Award for Exemplary Performance' will be launched to recognise exemplary teams, individuals or cases on a regular basis, with a view to encouraging civil servants to constantly strive for excellence. This is one of our initiatives to strengthen the civil service management system." Mrs Yeung also said that, in order to enable the civil service to maintain high standards of performance, the Civil Service College would make on-going efforts to enhance training for civil servants. In particular, the College would accord the highest priority to enhancing civil servants' understanding of the constitutional order of the HKSAR and the country's development, reinforcing the patriotic spirit and the citizen-oriented service ethos of civil servants. "A conscientious and dedicated civil service contributes greatly to good governance as well as the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong. Pursuant to the principle of 'patriots administering Hong Kong', civil servants should have strong awareness of safeguarding national sovereignty, security and development interest. They should be dedicated to their duties, be people-oriented, embrace teamwork, and be ready to take up commitment and responsibilities. I am confident that in unity the civil service will render excellent support to the Government for the administration of Hong Kong, better manifest the strength of 'one country, two systems' and join hands to start a new chapter for Hong Kong in the days to come," she added. The 100 awardees this year came from 37 bureaux and departments, involving 45 grades including professional and technical grades, disciplined services, general grades as well as Model Scale 1 grades. Acting Chief Immigration Assistant of the Immigration Department Ms Chan Ching-man is one of the civil servants commended today. During her tenure as an instructor at the Immigration Service Institute of Training and Development, Ms Chan strived to set a good example for new recruits and cultivate the trainees' spirit of teamwork and serving the public. She also worked on the front line at various land, sea and air boundary control points, and performed her job well in exercising effective immigration control. Another awardee is Ms Leung Yvetta Ruth. Currently a Principal I of the Education Bureau, she has served in seven Government schools. Starting as a teacher and now serving as a principal, she cherished every opportunity to have face-to-face contact with students and play the role as their companion in the hope of inspiring their growth. She is also committed to cultivating an echelon of young teachers to carry on the passion she has for teaching. Senior Superintendent of Police Ms Tam Pik-ling, who is currently responsible for the planning, execution and co-ordination of operational matters of the Police in the Hong Kong Island Region, has participated in various large-scale operations. From 2017 to 2018, she assisted in the implementation of the co-location arrangement at the West Kowloon Station of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link and conducted a series of preparatory work in 14 months to ensure smooth commissioning. Clinical Psychologist at the Social Welfare Department Dr Grace Tam is also commended. Currently serving at the Central Psychological Support Service (Pre-school Service), she displayed her professionalism during the COVID-19 epidemic by providing consultation and support services to pre-school children with special education needs and their parents by video-conferencing. She also pursued her doctoral degree during her spare time to enhance her professional knowledge and better serve the community. Health Inspector I of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department Mr Lee Chun-kit works at Tsang Tsui Columbarium to manage the facilities and oversee its daily operation. Mr Lee attaches great importance to the feedback received from the public on columbarium facilities. He would consider such feedback from the public's perspective and adopt constructive suggestions for service improvement, which won him praise from grave sweepers. Acting Senior Engineer of the Civil Engineering and Development Department Ms Cathleen Chan has been entrusted early this year to take part in the time-critical construction of community isolation and treatment facilities in the Lok Ma Chau Loop to assist in the Government's fight against the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic. While such infrastructural works normally take years to complete, Ms Chan and the works team finished the works in less than two months, which made significant contributions to the anti-epidemic efforts. The SCS's Commendation Award Scheme was introduced in 2004 to commend colleagues who have achieved outstanding work performance continuously for five years or above by the SCS on behalf of the Government. The Scheme has a meticulous selection process which requires nominations from Permanent Secretaries, departmental heads or heads of grades, adjudication by a selection committee and the final decision on the awardees' list by the SCS.