LCQ10: Attracting ethnic minorities to join disciplined services
5.7.2023

Following is a question by the Hon Gary Zhang and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (July 5): Question: A survey of an organisation has pointed out that the unemployment rate of ethnic minorities (EMs) during the epidemic was almost 50 per cent, which was higher than the overall unemployment rate in Hong Kong during the same period. Besides, it has been reported that there are quite a number of vacancies in the disciplined services. On attracting EMs to join the disciplined services, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the number of EMs who were unemployed and their unemployment rate in each of the past five years; (2) of the current staffing establishment of the Ethnic Minorities Relation Team of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) and the expenditure involved; (3) of the number of EMs recruited by the CSD through "Project NOVA" in the past three years; (4) of the respective numbers of non-ethnic Chinese youths recruited by various disciplined services through "Project Gemstone" in each year since it was launched by Yau Tsim Police District in February 2013; (5) of the resources currently allocated by the Hong Kong Police Force to the Cross-disciplined Forces Training Programme for Ethnic Minority Youth; (6) of the total number of EMs recruited by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department since it established the Ethnic Minority Youth Development Team in 2019; (7) of the reasons why the Government currently does not require persons joining the disciplined services to declare their ethnic origins; and (8) of the respective current details of the various disciplined services' relevant projects to attract EMs to join them and the respective expenditures involved? Reply: President, After consulting the Civil Service Bureau, the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) and the disciplined services, a consolidated reply is provided as follows. (1) According to the results of the 2021 Population Census conducted by the C&SD, the unemployment rate of ethnic minorities (EMs) (which refer to non-ethnic Chinese (NEC)) was 7.3 per cent, representing around 11 600 unemployed persons. These figures exclude foreign domestic helpers. The C&SD does not have the relevant statistics for 2018 to 2020 and 2022. The unemployment figures derived from Population Census are for general reference only and should be interpreted with caution. (2) The Correctional Services Department (CSD) set up the Ethnic Minorities Relation Team in 2019. The relevant establishment and total annual salary of staff are tabulated as follows: Rank Number of staff Annual salary (HKD)# Officer 1^ 694,260 Assistant Officer I 1^ 550,560 Total 2^ 1,244,820 ^Time limited post #Calculated based on the Notional Annual Mid-point Salary Value (March 2023) (3) The CSD's Ethnic Minorities Relation Team is committed to implementing "Project NOVA", under which life planning workshops, visits to the Hong Kong Correctional Services Academy, physical fitness training classes and career interview workshops have been organised with the aim to assist NEC youths in developing positive values and planning their life paths. Since the launch of "Project NOVA" in August 2019, as at June 26, 2023, the CSD has recruited 24 EMs, including two Officers and 22 Assistant Officers II. (4) The Yau Tsim Police District launched the "Project Gemstone" for NEC youths in February 2013. As of May 31, 2023, a total of 39 people have joined various disciplined services through the Scheme: 23 of them have joined the Police Force and 16 of them have joined other disciplined services (including the CSD, the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) and the Fire Services Department (FSD)) respectively. (5) Since the launch of the "Cross-disciplined Forces Training Programme for Ethnic Minority Youth" in 2017, the Hong Kong Police Force has organised six training camps with more than 420 EM youths participating. Various disciplined and auxiliary services, including the CSD, the C&ED, the FSD, the Government Flying Service (GFS), the Immigration Department (ImmD), the Auxiliary Medical Service and the Civil Aid Service, actively participate in and support the Programme in each year. Through organising training camps and induction seminars, as well as arranging visits to different disciplinary forces, training on discipline, physical fitness and team building are provided to EM youths. Participants have the opportunity to interact with representatives from different disciplined services to understand the work of the disciplined services and the recruitment requirements of the relevant positions, which will help them plan their future career paths. The two training camps in the financial year 2022-23 were jointly organised with the ImmD and the CSD at the Institute of Training and Development, Immigration Service in August 2022 and the Hong Kong Correctional Services Academy in December 2022 respectively. In financial terms, the total expenditure for the two training camps is $68,700, which is mainly for meals, transportation and programme arrangements. As for manpower, a total of 60 to 70 staff from the involved departments are required for each camp, depending on the number of participants and the type of activities. (6) In 2019, the FSD established the "Ethnic Minority Youth Development Team" to intensify promotional efforts on applying for posts of the Department among EM youths, and to disseminate to them information on community emergency preparedness so as to enhance their interest in joining the FSD in the future. As at June 26, 2023, the FSD has, through the above initiative, recruited a total of 15 NEC personnel, including three Station Officers, eight Firemen, one Ambulanceman and three personnel who are under training (including two Station Officers and one Fireman). (7) The Government does not require applicants for civil service jobs or serving civil servants to declare their ethnic origins because in the civil service recruitment process, bureaux/departments assess all candidates on the basis of their ability, performance, character, and the stipulated entry requirements set according to the job requirements. Race is not a relevant consideration. Therefore, the Government does not require applicants for disciplined services posts to declare their ethnic origins. (8) The schemes to recruit EMs and the expenditure involved, with a breakdown by disciplined services, are tabulated as follows: Disciplined services Name and details of the scheme to recruit EMs Expenditure involved for the financial year 2022-23 Correctional Services Department "Project NOVA" (Details of the scheme are set out in Reply (3)) About $1.24 million Customs and Excise Department "Ethnic Minority Inclusion Team" The C&ED established the "Ethnic Minority Inclusion Team" in 2020 to reach out to the EMs, introducing to them the Customs work and providing them with information on job application. Resources involved in the relevant work have been subsumed in the C&ED's recurrent expenditure. The C&ED does not keep a breakdown on the figures. Fire Services Department "Ethnic Minority Youth Development Team" (Details of the scheme are set out in Reply (6)) About $1.30 million Government Flying Service The GFS currently does not have a specific scheme to recruit EMs. No related expenditure. Hong Kong Police Force "Police Community Liaison Assistant Programme" Since 2010, the Hong Kong Police Force has been implementing the "Police Community Liaison Assistant Programme" to employ NEC to meet operational needs. Currently, 13 Police Districts participated in the Programme. Those Community Liaison Assistants are fluent in foreign languages such as Urdu, Thai or Hindi, and assist Police Districts in connecting with minority populations on issues of common concern. About $0.63 million Immigration Department The ImmD currently does not have a specific scheme to recruit EMs. No related expenditure.