kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
Civil Service Bureau issues updated Civil Service Code (Draft for Consultation) (with photos/video)
13.12.2023

The Civil Service Bureau issued the updated Civil Service Code (the Code) (Draft for Consultation) today (December 13) for consulting the staff side. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said there are two major goals for updating the Code. First, to let civil servants have a clear understanding that the Constitution and the Basic Law jointly form the constitutional basis and order of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and the constitutional roles and responsibilities of civil servants under this basis. Second, to clearly spell out the core values and standards of conduct for civil servants in view of social development and in response to public expectations, which serve as an important guide for civil servants in their daily work, decision-making and conduct. The updated Code (Draft for Consultation) has the following parts: (I) Introduction; (II) One Country, Two Systems; (III) Oath-taking and Declaration Requirement by Civil Servants; (IV) Civil Servants' Core Values and Standards of Conduct; (V) Civil Service and the Political Appointment System; (VI) Independent Role of the Public Service Commission; and (VII) Conclusion. All civil servants and government employees appointed on non-civil service terms must observe the Code. This is a requirement under their letters of appointment or employment contracts, which is in line with the current arrangement. The prevailing Code was promulgated in 2009 and has been in place since then. The Government strives to improve governance, and civil servants are the backbone of the Government. Their integrity, ability and efficiency are the key to improving governance. As the expectations and demands of the community towards the Government and the civil service have continuously grown, the Government sees the need to update the Code to spell out clearly the core values and standards of conduct which present-day civil servants should uphold, and the constitutional basis and order of the HKSAR, in order to help civil servants understand their constitutional roles and responsibilities as members of the executive authorities. The updated Code (Draft for Consultation) has been uploaded onto the Civil Service Bureau's website ( www.csb.gov.hk ). Any views can be submitted on or before January 19, 2024, via email (opinions@csb.gov.hk) or by post to 8/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong (please specify on the envelope "Views on Updating the Civil Service Code"). The Government will take into account the views received to finalise the updated Code for promulgation.
Civil Service College holds talk on Belt and Road Initiative (with photos)
29.11.2023

The Civil Service College (CSC) today (November 29) held a talk of the series on the country's foreign affairs jointly with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The talk, on the topic of "The high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative and policy recommendations for Hong Kong's participation in the Initiative", was delivered by the Director-General of the Department of International Economic Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Mr Li Kexin. Addressing the talk, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said that Hong Kong, with its distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under the "one country, two systems" principle, has been playing the role of both a participant and an enabler of the Belt and Road Initiative. Hong Kong has been actively promoting exchanges and co-operation among participating countries and regions, aiming to achieve mutual benefits and win-win results. As an international financial centre, Hong Kong leverages its well established, comprehensive professional services and the unique advantage of the common law system, actively expanding co-operation with Belt and Road partners in such areas as economy and trade, innovation and technology, infrastructure development, among others. This talk will undoubtedly help civil servants acquire an accurate understanding of Hong Kong's significant role in the international platform of the Belt and Road Initiative, enabling them to better support the HKSAR Government in proactively integrating into the overall development of the country and furthering the high-quality development of the Belt and Road Initiative. About 100 senior officials and civil servants in the directorate and senior ranks attended the talk at the CSC today. The CSC and the OCMFA have been jointly organising this series of talks on the country's foreign affairs since late 2021. This year's series includes the thematic briefing session on "International Landscape and China's Foreign Relations in 2023" and a number of talks on topics such as "China's Relations with Southeast Asian Countries" and the latest development of China-United States relations, etc. The talks are delivered by relevant officials of the MFA.
CSB promotes voting in DC election in community (with photos)
27.11.2023

After encouraging civil servants to vote in the District Council (DC) election, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Volunteer Team switched from government buildings to busy Tsim Sha Tsui this evening (November 27) to carry out their promotion. The volunteer team encouraged shopkeepers and members of the public to cast their vote in the DC election and distributed leaflets to them, calling on them to vote on December 10 to elect DC members who will serve the community. The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, and members of the volunteer team jointly promoted voting in the DC election. The CSB Volunteer Team members come from the Administrative Officer Grade, the Executive Officer Grade, the Training Officer Grade, the Official Languages Officer Grade, the Analyst/Programmer Grade and the Clerical Grade. There are also civil servants from the Public Service Commission and the Joint Secretariat for the Advisory Bodies on Civil Service and Judicial Salaries and Conditions of Service. The 30-odd volunteer team members dispersed into smaller teams in various places with higher footfall in Tsim Sha Tsui to call on the public to vote in the DC election. The Government is sparing no effort in publicising activities to promote enthusiastic voting on polling day. In order to further disseminate the message in the community to vote in the DC election, bureaux and departments are taking an active part in the publicity for the DC election by going to the 18 districts for this purpose. A series of measures to facilitate people to cast their vote are also in place to encourage all civil servants and Hong Kong citizens to shoulder their civic responsibility and cast their vote. Mrs Yeung said, "Our activity showed that civil servants are united to support the DC election. Our colleagues promote the DC election in the community with one heart and hope to remind the public not to miss polling day. It is also meant to further promote the voting message among colleagues through the work of the volunteer team. The DC election will affect the services and development of the districts in the next four years. With only 13 days to go before the DC Election, it is time to learn about the platforms of different candidates, and vote on polling day to elect those who do practical work for the districts." Electors can visit the DC election website ( www.elections.gov.hk ) for their respective constituencies and for information on the candidates. The polling hours of DC geographical constituency ordinary polling stations on polling day (December 10) will be from 8.30am to 10.30pm.
SCS meets delegation of Permanent Secretaries of Singapore (with photos)
23.11.2023

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, met with a delegation led by the Head of Civil Service of Singapore, Mr Leo Yip, under the Singapore-Hong Kong Permanent Secretaries Exchange Programme (Exchange Programme) at Central Government Offices today (November 23). Welcoming the delegation's visit to Hong Kong, Mrs Yeung said the civil service of Hong Kong and Singapore have always maintained close ties and exchanges to share experiences and ideas. While reciprocal visits among senior civil servants of the two governments could not be materialised in the past few years under the COVID-19 epidemic, it is encouraging to see that this Exchange Programme has resumed today. Mrs Yeung exchanged with the the delegation experiences in recruitment and training of civil servants. Both sides noted that with the fast-changing international political, economic and technological situations, as well as the gradually changing aspirations of the younger generation, investment in continuous training at all levels of the civil service and the provision of diverse opportunities for young people were important in enhancing the capability of civil servants to cope with the challenging global environment, maintaining the satisfaction civil servants obtain from their work and increasing the attractiveness of the civil service as a career for young people. Concluding the meeting, Mrs Yeung said that Hong Kong and Singapore have all along had much in common and it is important for continuous exchanges and co-operation among civil servants in the two governments to take place. She looked forward to continue promoting people-to-people bonds between Hong Kong and Singapore in future and finding new areas for further collaboration.
CSB Volunteer Team encourages colleagues to vote at DC election (with photos)
20.11.2023

With only 20 days to go before the District Council (DC) Election, the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) Volunteer Team distributed leaflets to civil servants at the walkways and footbridge outside the Central Government Offices (CGO) at Tamar as they finished work this evening (November 20), to further disseminate the message of casting one's vote at the DC election. The Volunteer Team, led by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and joined by the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, and a number of deputy secretaries, was composed of staff members from various grades including Administrative Officers and Executive Officers. They aimed to convey a simple message - vote with your families on December 10! Mrs Yeung said, "The DC election to be held on December 10 is the first election after improving the district governance system and reforming the DCs in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. We all earnestly hope that the new DCs could make district services more targeted and bring stability and development to Hong Kong. Civil servants, like members of the general public, should actively participate in it. "This election is of great significance. Earlier, different Heads of Departments have promoted the DC election in their departments through various channels. It is also the first time for us to join hands with the four central civil service consultative councils to publicise the election. The staff and management sides have been working together to let civil servants understand the importance of the election. The CSB Volunteer Team would like to do more and encourage more colleagues to follow the election and vote together, and to grasp the opportunity to elect DC members who do real work for the districts." The CSB Volunteer Team will continue to promote the importance of the DC election to colleagues through various means, including promotions in other government buildings.
SCS briefs civil servants on Policy Address initiatives
25.10.2023

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, wrote to civil service colleagues soon after the delivery of "The Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address" today (October 25). She also met with representatives from the four civil service central consultative councils and the four major service-wide staff unions this afternoon to brief them on policy initiatives relating to civil service matters in the Policy Address. Entitled "Sustained Efforts to Strengthen Management and Enhance Efficacy", Mrs Yeung's letter to civil service colleagues outlined the policy initiatives of strengthening civil service management and enhancing civil service training. She said, "A capable and efficient civil service is the key to success in improving the governance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. Our colleagues in various departments have always been doing their best to serve the public. Whether it be the super typhoon or the unprecedented rainstorm that hit Hong Kong, concerted efforts were made in response to bring our community back to normal as soon as possible. The dedicated efforts of our colleagues are fully recognised by the Chief Executive in his Policy Address." The Policy Address has put forward various initiatives to promote Hong Kong's economic development and better living for the members of the public. She added that the Policy Address also continues to strengthen the civil service management system so as to further enhance the efficacy of the civil service and enable colleagues to give full play to their strengths in preparation for challenges ahead. In order to build a vibrant economy, civil servants must always embrace challenges, and approach their work with a bold and innovative mindset and a people-oriented ethos. The civil service must serve the public in a proactive manner with a focus on action, and render full support to the Chief Executive in administering Hong Kong.
Transcript of remarks by SCS at media session
6.10.2023

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, at a media session after inspecting the Recruitment Centre, General Grades Office of the Civil Service Bureau this morning (October 6): Reporter: Is the number of applications of JRE aligned with your expectation? And how many applications do you expect to receive for the posts under the General Grades Office? Also, around 4 000 civil servants left this year. Do you think the recruitment centre or the recruitment efforts will really help to fill the gap? Secretary for the Civil Service: I will answer the last question first. In the past, as I explained just now, we only opened applications for the Assistant Clerical Officer and Clerical Assistant, and Personal Secretary II posts once in every two years, and the application period is about two weeks. For those who could not apply in those two weeks or did not realise that the application was opened in those two weeks, the next chance will come in two years' time. In a way, suitable candidates might not be able to apply in time for the post. With all year-round recruitment, we will enable the suitable candidates to apply anytime according to their personal plan, anytime that is convenient for them, and the entire recruitment process will yield results much faster. So suitable applicants would not have to wait for a long time before they have the results. We believe this would go a long way to help recruiting suitable Assistant Clerical Officers, Clerical Assistants and Personal Secretaries. We are also providing a lot of information here, a lot of lively information, so those who are interested in these jobs would be able to gather useful information as regards what these jobs are about, what they are expected to do, what are the requirements or the expectations on them, so they can better decide whether the jobs are suitable for them. So we do expect to be able to recruit more after having this recruitment centre. Our recruitment target for this year (2023/24) is about 900 Assistant Clerical Officers, 900 Clerical Assistants and about 200 Personal Secretaries II. This is our target. As for the six JRE (Joint Recruitment Examination) degree grades, we actually do not have a target applicant number in mind, but we do expect with more vigorous recruitment efforts, there will be more applications coming, so the application number as at yesterday (October 5) in a way fulfils our expectation. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
CSB's General Grades Office Recruitment Centre officially open (with photos/video)
6.10.2023

The Recruitment Centre, General Grades Office of the Civil Service Bureau (CSB) officially commenced operation today (October 6) to conduct year-round recruitment for the posts of Assistant Clerical Officer (ACO), Clerical Assistant (CA) and Personal Secretary II (PSII). Apart from obtaining recruitment information, job seekers may submit applications on the spot. Eligible applicants, regardless of whether their applications are submitted online or at the Recruitment Centre, will later be invited for skill tests, the Basic Law and National Security Law Test, and selection interviews to be held at the Recruitment Centre. The Director of General Grades, Mr Hermes Chan, briefed the Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, on the operation and services of the Recruitment Centre. Mrs Yeung said the consolidation of the recruitment process of the Clerical and Secretarial (C&S) Grades and the establishment of the Recruitment Centre to conduct year-round recruitment is a new attempt to speed up the recruitment process, adding that this would also provide greater convenience to job seekers so that they could know early if their application was successful. Along with the continuous improvement and increasing diversification of government services, the work of C&S Grades has been transformed. As a multi-skilled team, many of the C&S Grades members are at the front line, providing public services, responsible for implementation, supervision and the carrying out of a wide range of tasks in bureaux and departments, including personnel, finance and accounts, customer service, licensing and registration, as well as assisting supervisors in external liaison, the management of information, meetings and work schedules, etc. Details of the entry requirements for the posts have been uploaded to the CSB website ( www.csb.gov.hk/english/recruit/7.html ). Applicants can submit applications online through the CSB website. The recruitment is open to all permanent residents of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region who meet the relevant entry requirements. Depending on operation needs and the number of suitable candidates, the CSB plans to recruit about 2 000 new appointees to join the C&S Grades in the coming year. Moreover, the Recruitment Centre will organise regular career talks for secondary students to introduce to them the structure of the Government and the civil service, the work and career prospects of the C&S Grades, as well as recruitment procedures, so as to assist students who wish to join the public service to plan their careers at an earlier stage. The Recruitment Centre, situated in Room 3701, 37th floor of Revenue Tower, 5 Gloucester Road, Wan Chai, will be open from 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 5pm between Mondays and Fridays. It will be closed on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. For details of the Recruitment Centre, please visit the CSB website ( www.csb.gov.hk/english/admin/grade/cs/2906.html ).
SCS visits Planning Department (with photos)
20.9.2023

The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, and the Permanent Secretary for the Civil Service, Mr Clement Leung, visited the headquarters of the Planning Department (PlanD) today (September 20) to learn more about the department's work and services in guiding the use and development of land, facilitating development and district redevelopment, as well as preparing town plans. They met with the Director of Planning, Mr Ivan Chung, and the directorate staff and were briefed on the department's operation and latest developments. They also met with staff representatives of various grades to know more about matters that concern them. At the Territorial Planning Division, the PlanD staff briefed Mrs Yeung on the "Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030", the territorial spatial development strategy, as well as two major engines for the future development of Hong Kong, namely the Northern Metropolis and Kau Yi Chau Artificial Islands. Mrs Yeung said that the San Tin Technopole is a major development project in the Northern Metropolis which aims to become a hub for clustered innovation and technology development. She encouraged colleagues to enhance Hong Kong's competitiveness, provide diversified development opportunities for districts and build a liveable environment for the public through active planning studies and setting out a planning framework to guide the development. At the Technical Services Division, the PlanD staff explained how to optimise public services and improve work efficiency through their tailor-made information technology systems including the Electronic Planning Application Submission System, the one-stop planning information website, the spatial data analytics system for community facilities and open space, as well as the integrated system for planning enforcement and prosecution. Mrs Yeung also visited the Board Division to learn about the work of the Town Planning Board.