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Following is a question by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip and a written reply by the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Stephen Lam, in the Legislative Council today (May 30):
Question:
Recently, there has been wide public concern about the expenditure incurred during the overseas duty visits made by the Chief Executive (CE). It has been reported that the number of duty visits made by CE has increased in recent years, and the total expenditure for CE's duty visits, including the expenses for his entourage, amounted to HK$10.67 million last year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) at present, whether the authorities have formulated criteria in respect of overseas duty visits made by CE and politically appointed officials, so as to determine if such visits are appropriate and necessary; further, whether they have drawn up guidelines for the expenditure items for each overseas duty visit (e.g. hotel room rate, amount of subsistence allowance, flight ticket class and the number of entourage, etc.); and whether they have set ceilings for the expenditure items for CE's overseas duty visits; and
(b) at present, whether the authorities have formulated criteria in respect of overseas duty visits made by senior civil servants, so as to determine if such visits are appropriate and necessary; if they have, of the criteria; whether they have drawn up guidelines and set ceilings for the expenditure items for each overseas duty visit (e.g. hotel room rate, amount of subsistence allowance, flight ticket class and the number of entourage, etc.); if so, of the details?
Reply:
President,
Firstly, we would like to point out that in the 2011-12 financial year, the total expenditure for the duty visits of the Chief Executive (CE), including the expenses for his entourage, was $4.46 million. The $10.67 million mentioned in the question was actually the total expenditure for the duty visits during the period from July 2007 to January 2012.
As regards the questions raised by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip, our replies are as follows:
(a) The annual visit programme for the CE, Secretaries of Departments (SoDs) and Directors of Bureaux (DoBs) is discussed at the Policy Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration (CS) every year, with a view to ensuring that the visits can serve the purposes of showcasing the strengths of Hong Kong, exploring business opportunities (especially in emerging markets), promoting Hong Kong and enhancing liaisons, etc. Upon the Policy Committee's endorsement of the annual programme, or when there is a need to make a visit other than those covered by the annual visit programme mentioned above due to operational need and actual situation, the offices of the CE, SoDs and DoBs will discuss specific programmes with the relevant departments or economic and trade offices. After the formulation of specific programmes, SoDs shall submit applications for CE's approval, while DoBs shall submit applications for approval by CS or the Financial Secretary. As for Under Secretaries and Political Assistants, they shall submit their applications for approval by their respective DoBs.
The "Code for Officials under the Political Appointment System" have set out the guidelines regarding the class of travelling on duty outside Hong Kong and subsistence allowance for politically appointed officials (PAOs). On the class of travelling, the Principal Officials (i.e. Secretaries of Departments and Directors of Bureaux) and the Director of the CE's Office shall travel on first class when travelling on duty outside Hong Kong. The class of travelling on duty outside Hong Kong for Under Secretaries and Political Assistants are subject to the same rules and regulations as those applicable to civil servants at comparable levels. On subsistence allowance, PAOs are subject to the same rules and regulations as those applicable to civil servants. The ranking and number of accompanying officer(s) involved are considered on a case-by-case basis in the light of operational need and actual situation.
The subsistence allowance and the class of travelling on duty for the CE as set out in his appointment terms are the same as those applicable to SoDs and DoBs mentioned above.
(b) Overseas duty visits by civil servants are made on the basis of operational need. The ranking and number of officers undertaking duty visits are considered on a case-by-case basis.
To ensure that applications of civil servants for overseas duty visits are prudently handled, applications from officers below Head of Department (HoD) level should be approved personally by Permanent Secretaries/HoDs or by senior officers not below Assistant Director level. As for duty visits undertaken by HoDs, approval should be obtained from their respective Permanent Secretary, supervising officer or Director of Bureau. In considering such applications, the approving officers should consider various factors, including the visit objectives, duration, number and frequency of such visits, and the appropriateness of the ranking and number of the officers involved, etc.
Civil servants on overseas duty visits are entitled to draw an overseas subsistence allowance provided under the Civil Service Regulations. The rate of the overseas subsistence allowance, which is applicable to all officers, will vary in accordance with the destination. The allowance is intended to cover the cost of accommodation and meals, travelling expenses within towns, other minor incidental out-of-pocket expenses, etc.
For civil servants on overseas duty visits, their duty passages are procured by relevant departments in accordance with the Civil Service Regulations and the Stores and Procurement Regulations. Officers at D4 level of the Directorate Pay Scale or above are normally provided with business class duty passage. Other officers will normally travel on economy class; only in particular circumstances (e.g. flying time exceeding nine hours or being subject to a tight flight schedule of no less than three flights within five days etc) may HoDs upgrade the passages for their officers to business class.
Ends/Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Issued at HKT 14:30
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