Study tour group's checklist

Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan heads over 20 senior government officials on a five-day study trip to Beijing and Zhejiang province.

Participants in the largest study group ever of top civil servants include the Chief Executive's Office permanent secretary Daniel Cheng Chung-wai and permanent secretary for security Patrick Li Pak-chuen.

The trip, which kicked off yesterday, aims to reinforce the understanding of the country's important policies and future development strategies, which will help senior officials formulate and implement policies and initiatives for Hong Kong's integration into national development, said Yeung.

The study group will learn about national policies at the National Academy of Governance and meet with officials of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office in Beijing, before departing for Zhejiang tomorrow to obtain a deeper understanding about the practical experience of grassroots governance and common prosperity, and preparations for the upcoming Hangzhou Asian Games.

Speaking before their departure, Yeung said the group has the largest number of participants ever, reflecting the trip's great significance.

She said the early arrangement of the study trip, which is usually held at the end of the year, shows the importance that the country attaches to the senior civil servants in the SAR, and the active participation of permanent secretaries and heads of departments is proof of their enthusiasm for learning.

"I hope that my colleagues and I will return with rich experiences and valuable knowledge from the mainland to improve our work," Yeung added.

The delegation will return from Hangzhou on Friday.

Yeung also said the government has no plans to import civil servants from outside Hong Kong.

"As prescribed by Article 99 of the Basic Law, civil servants must be permanent residents of Hong Kong. So we definitely have no intention to import labor to fill positions in the civil service," she explained.

The civil service has been facing a manpower shortage in recent years, with 8,178 civil servants having left between April and December last year. More than half of them retired while more than 3,000 resigned.

She said some civil service grades, including the disciplinary forces, have seen more candidates after the government allowed third-year university students to take the civil service exams.

"Some civil servant grades relaxed [the requirement] from the beginning of June, and we can see that these grades - including some disciplinary forces - are receiving more job applications than before," Yeung said.

"I really believe this measure is helpful for the government to recruit talent as well as for the youths who are committed to serving Hong Kong to have clear prospects."

stacy.shi@singtaonewscorp.com