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Following is a question by the Hon Leung Yiu-chung and a written reply by the Secretary for the Civil Service, Miss Denise Yue, on the principles in formulating the implementation plans of the five-day week initiative in the Legislative Council today (February 22):
Question:
The Chief Executive informed this Council last month that the Administration was studying the introduction of five-day work week in the Government, with effect from July this year. Some staff of the Hongkong Post have told me that their department is considering the cessation of services on Saturday mornings. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) whether it will stipulate that the government departments shall not cut existing services and cause too much inconvenience to the public when they implement the five-day work week; if not, of the reasons for that; and
(b) given that the offices of the government departments on the working days immediately before and after Saturdays may become busier upon the implementation of five-day work week, whether it will consider recruiting additional staff where necessary, so as to avoid increasing the workload of and pressure on the staff concerned; if not, of the reasons for that?
Reply:
Madam President,
(a) In taking forward the five-day week initiative, our primary concern is to maintain the overall level and efficiency of public service. In formulating the implementation plans, we shall adhere to the following basic principles:
* no additional staffing resources;
* no reduction in the conditioned hours of service of individual staff;
* no reduction in emergency services; and
* while in general all offices will cease operation on Saturdays, a limited number of essential counter services may continue to be provided on Saturdays.
In pursuing the five-day week initiative, we shall give due regard to the community's demand of public service and ensure that impact of the initiative on the general public is kept to the minimum. For non-emergency or non-essential services that will cease operation on Saturdays, the working hours on weekdays will be extended as appropriate. Steps will also be taken to improve the delivery of services to the public, including, for example, a wider use of internet service, business process re-engineering and transferring enquiries and complaints services to the Integrated Call Centre which operates on a 24-hour basis. All these measures will ensure that the impact of the Government adopting a five-day week on the general public and the private sector will be minimal. We will keep under review the community's demand of public services, and make adjustments as necessary, following implementation of the five-day week.
(b) Under the five-day week initiative, the number of conditioned hours of service of individual staff remains unchanged. The need for additional staffing resources should not arise. In formulating the implementation details, bureaux and departments would give careful consideration to the appropriate manpower arrangement, having regard to the mode of operation of individual services and staff's occupational safety and health. The Administration will suitably adjust the manpower deployment in order to cater for any possible changes in the service utilisation patterns following introduction of the five-day week. In doing so, we shall take into account a number of relevant factors, such as the service utilisation and delivery patterns, back-end business processes, the impact on performance pledges and service users, as well as the views of staff.
Ends/Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Issued at HKT 11:33
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