| Date
| Context
| Summary of development
| Action
|
|---|
|
17.5.99
| PS
| The Panel discussed the Administration's paper which informed members of the existing policy on the provision of allowances to civil servants. [Paper]
Noting that a review of the job-related allowances (JRAs) was being conducted by the Administration to ensure that the various allowances remained appropriate under the current circumstances, members requested and the Administration undertook to report the outcome of the review to the Panel in due course.
|
|
|
10/99
| AUD
| Director of Audit conducted a value-for-money audit on the framework for the administration of allowance in the civil service and on the following allowances -
| the Independence Commission Against Corruption post allowance
| | home-to-office travelling allowance
| | mileage allowance
| | furniture and domestic appliances allowance
| | dialect allowance
| | overtime allowance
| | acting allowance
| | | | | | | |
[Report]
|
|
|
2/00
| PAC
| PAC considered in detail report of the Director of Audit on administration of allowances in civil service. [Report]
|
|
|
21.2.00
| PS
| The Administration briefed the Panel on the outcome of the Administration's review of the home-to-office travelling allowance. [Paper]
|
|
|
19.2.01
| PS
| The Panel discussed the Administration's paper which set out the proposals to revise the mechanisms for adjusting the Home Financing Allowance, the Home Purchase Allowance, the Rent Allowance, the Private Tenancy Allowance and the Accommodation Allowance. [Paper]
The Panel noted that the Administration intended to seek approval for the new mechanisms for adjusting housing allowances from the Finance Committee on 9 March 2001 with a view to implementing the proposals with effect from the next adjustment due on 1 April 2001.
|
|
|
9.3.01
| FC
| FC approved -
| a revised mechanism for adjusting the rates of Home Financing Allowance, Home Purchase Allowance and Rent Allowance with effect from 1 April 2001;
| | a reduction in the rates of Home Financing Allowance, Home Purchase Allowance and Rent Allowance by 10.7% with effect from 1 April 2001;
| | a revised mechanism for adjusting the rates of Private Tenancy Allowance and Accommodation Allowance with effect from 1 April 2001;
| | a reduction in the rates of Private Tenancy Allowance and Accommodation Allowance by 0.2% to 2.3% with effect from 1 April 2001; and
| | the delegation of authority to the Secretary for the Treasury to approve future revisions of the Home Financing Allowance, Home Purchase Allowance, Rent Allowance, Private Tenancy Allowance and Accommodation Allowance in accordance with the proposed mechanisms.
| | | | | |
[Paper]
|
|
|
18.6.01
| PS
| The Administration briefed the Panel on the background of the policy whereby eligible officers on local terms might claim Overseas Education Allowances (OEA) for their children's schooling in the United Kingdom only. The Administration also informed members of its decision that the country restriction rule under OEA should remain in place.
[Paper]
|
|
| 12.12.01
| CQ
| Hon James TIEN raised a question on Remuneration and Fringe Benefits of Civil Servants. [Hansard "Page 22" ]
|
|
|
8.3.02
| FC
| FC approved -
| a new system for Special Posting Allowance payable to officers posted outside Hong Kong;
| | the rates of Rent Allowance payable to officers posted to the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Guangdong; and
| | the delegation of authority to the Secretary for Commerce and Industry to approve future revisions to the rates of the Rent Allowance for the Guangdong Office in accordance with the proposed mechanism.
| | | |
[Paper]
|
|
|
15.4.02
| PS
| The Administration briefed the Panel on the comments of departmental managements and the staff sides and the Administration's initial views on the recommendations made by the Standing Commission on Civil Service Salaries and Conditions of Service (the Standing Commission) and the Standing Committee on Disciplined Services Salaries and Conditions of Service (the Standing Committee) in respect of JRAs payable to civilian staff and disciplined services staff.
[Paper]
At the request of members, the Administration provided additional information on the types of JRAs currently payable to eligible civil servants in different departments, and the grades/ranks eligible for each type of the allowances.
[Follow-up Paper]
|
|
| 23.10.02
| PS
| Further to the discussion at the Panel meeting held on 15 April 2002, the Panel discussed a paper on the Administration's proposed way forward in respect of the reviews conducted respectively by the Standing Commission and the Standing Committee on JRAs payable to civil servants.
[Paper]
|
|
| 18.11.02
| PS
| The Panel discussed a paper which set out the Administration's proposal to revise the formula for determining the Duty Mileage Allowance (DMA) rates and the mechanism for future adjustments to the rates. [Paper]
At the request of members, the Administration provided supplementary information on DMA claimants and the formula/methodology adopted for computing the cost of "repairs and maintenance" for the purpose of calculating the running costs incurred for the officers' duty journeys.
[Follow-up Paper]
|
|
| 20.12.02
| FC
| FC approved -
| the revision of DMA rates to $2.07 per kilometre for motor vehicle and $0.77 per kilometre for motor cycle and scooter with effect from January 2003; and
| | the delegation of authority to the Secretary for the Civil Service to approve future adjustments to DMA rates on 1 April annually, starting from 2004, in accordance with the year-on-year change in the relevant components of the Composite Consumer Price Index for the 12-month period ending December of the preceding year.
| | |
[Paper]
|
|
| 12.3.03
| CQ
| Hon CHOY So-yuk raised a question on Civil Service OEA. [Hansard "Page 36"]
|
|
| 2.4.03
| CQ
| Hon Abraham SHEK raised a question on Fringe Benefits for Civil Servants. [Hansard "Page 11"]
|
|
| 25.4.03
| PS
| The Administration briefed members on its plan to review various allowances payable to civil servants. As the first priorities, the Administration would review acting allowance, overseas and local education allowances, passage and related allowances and air-conditioning allowance.
[Paper]
In response to members' request, the Administration provided information on the actual/projected/estimated expenditure in 2000/01, 2001/02, 2002/03 on the various allowances.
[Follow-up paper]
The Administration undertook to take members' suggestions in respect of OEA into account when drawing up detailed change proposals under Phase two of the Review on Civil Service Allowances.
[Minutes "Page 9"]
|
|
| 16.6.03
| PS
| The Administration informed members of the outcome of the review of JRAs for civilian grades.
[Paper dated 16.6.03]
[Information paper dated 19.5.03]
At the request of members, the Administration provided further information on civil servants operating electro-encephalograph machines and governing principle regarding payment of multiple JRAs.
[Follow-up Paper]
|
|
| 16.2.04
| PS
| The Administration briefed members on the outcome of the recent review of acting allowance.
[Paper]
At members' request, the Administration provided the outcome of its consultation with the staff sides and departmental management on the proposed revisions to the rates of acting allowance and other administrative arrangements as detailed in the paper for the Panel meeting on 16.2.04.
[Follow-up paper]
|
|
| 14.4.04
| -
| The Secretary for the Civil Service (SCS) issued a letter to all civil servants informing them of the latest development of the review of allowances payable to civil servants, including JRAs and fringe benefit type allowances. [Letter]
|
|
| 19.4.04
| PS
| The Administration briefed members on the progress of comprehensive review of allowances payable to civil servants. [Paper]
At the request of members, the Administration provided supplementary information on the outcome of reviews conducted in recent years on allowances payable to civil servants, including those related to the performance of duties and those provided as fringe benefits.
[Follow-up Paper]
Further to the discussion at the Panel meeting, the Administration provided Panel members with further information in June 2004 on the latest position of the review of civil service allowances that were payable as fringe benefits. [Follow-up Paper]
At the request of Hon CHAN Yuen-han, the Legal Service Division provided the Panel with its advice on whether the Administration had the authority to make changes to duty-related allowances when there was a change in circumstances and to make changes to fringe benefit type of allowances which were part of the terms of employment of the civil servants concerned. [Paper]
|
|
| 3.6.04
| -
| SCS issued a letter on "Reviews of Civil Service Allowances First Phase Review of Fringe Benefit Type of Allowances" to update civil servants on the latest developments of the review.
[Letter]
|
|
| 2.7.04
| -
| SCS issued a letter to civil servants on "Reviews of Civil Service Allowances First Phase Review of Fringe Benefit Type of Allowances" to address a number of common concerns raised by civil servants since 3.6.04.
[Letter]
|
|
| 2.11.04
| PRESS
| The Administration indicated its plan to issue a consultation paper on the review of the fringe benefit type of allowances, perhaps in early December 2004. [Press release]
|
|
|
21.12.04
| PS
| The Administration briefed members on the progress of the Administration's review of fringe benefit type of civil service allowances. [Paper]
|
|
|
21.2.05
| PS
| The Panel discussed the paper on the outcome of the phase three review of JRAs payable to the civilian grades of the civil service. [Paper]
The Panel met civil service unions and received views on the review of the payment of Hardship Allowance under the phase three JRAs review.
At the Panel meeting, the following motion proposed by Hon WONG Kwok-hing was passed:
"That this Panel requests the Government to defer the implementation of payment of Hardship Allowance at half rate to 1 321 posts and the cessation of payment of Hardship Allowance at full rate to 503 posts, and urges the Government to consult afresh civil service organizations on the payment of Hardship Allowance thoroughly."
The Administration provided on 15 March 2005 its written response to the motion and to the submissions of civil service staff unions. [Follow-up Paper]
|
|
| 22.9.05
| -
| The Administration provided an information paper to brief LegCo Members on the latest position of the Administration's review of fringe benefit type of civil service allowances, including the latest package of change proposals arising from the review. The Administration advised that it would draw up the final proposals after staff consultation and it intended to implement the new measures arising from the review as early as possible in 2006. [Paper]
|
|
| 22.9.05
| -
| SCS issued a letter to civil servants on "Review of Fringe Benefit Type of Civil Service Allowances" to update civil servants on the review and to invite their views on the latest package of change proposals. [Letter]
|
|
|
17.10.05
| PS
| The Panel discussed the paper on policy initiatives of the Civil Service Bureau set out in the 2005-06 Policy Agenda, including the review of civil service allowances. [Paper]
|
|
|
16.1.06
| PS
| The Administration briefed members on the latest package of change proposals of fringe benefit type of allowances and the feedback received during staff consultation. [Paper] [Background Brief] [Submission from the Police Force Council Staff Side]
|
|
| 20.4.06 | PS
| The Administration briefed members on the final package of change proposals of fringe benefit type of allowances following the completion of the allowance review. [Paper] [Background Brief]
|
|
|
19.5.06
| FC
| FC approved:
| (a) | the adjustment of the ceiling rates of Overseas Education Allowance (OEA) to the level as at 30 June 1997 for new claimants who start to claim the allowance from the 2006/07 or the 2007 school year onwards;
| | (b) | the adjustment of the ceiling rates of Local Education Allowance (LEA) to the level as at 30 June 1997 for new claimants who start to claim the allowance from the 2006/07 school year onwards;
| | (c) | the adjustment of the ceiling rates of School Passage Allowance (SPA) to the rates as at 1 July 1998 with effect from the next claiming cycle of SPA for all claimants;
| | (d) | the expansion of the scope of SPA to cover the allowance for travelling expenses in the place of study with effect from the next claiming cycle of SPA for all eligible officers;
| | (e) | the abolition of the rate adjustment mechanism for OEA, LEA, SPA, and the travelling expenses in the country of origin or place of study with immediate effect;
| | (f) | the capping of the allowance rates for Sea Passage starting from the 2007 sailing;
| | (g) | the revision of the rate adjustment mechanism of the Accommodation Allowance (AA) and the Private Tenancy Allowance (PTA) according to the annual territory-wide rental movements in respect of the corresponding classes of domestic properties compiled by the Rating and Valuation Department with effect from 2007-08;
| | (h) | the locking of the scale of rates payable to AA and PTA recipients throughout the term of a tenancy to the scale prevailing at the commencement of the tenancy term with effect from a prospective date in 2006-07;
| | (i) | the revision of the rates of Non-accountable Cash Allowance (NCA) for new claimants (including claimants on re-appointment with a break in service) to 5% below the corresponding rates of Home Financing Allowance (HFA)/Home Purchase Allowance (HPA) and the adjustment of future NCA rates in line with the annual percentage adjustment to the HFA/HPA rates with effect from a prospective date in 2006-07;
| | (j) | the expansion of the scope of the NCA Scheme to allow officers eligible for AA to opt to switch to the NCA Scheme and to apply the rules on prevention of double housing benefits fully to these NCA recipients with effect from a prospective date in 2006-07;
| | (k) | the conversion of the Removal Allowance into a fully non-accountable allowance with effect from a prospective date in 2006-07; and
| | (l) | the cessation of the provision of Air-conditioning Allowance and Hotel Subsistence Allowance, as a fringe benefit, to all eligible civil servants with effect from a prospective date in 2006-07.
|
[Paper]
|
|
| 15.11.10
| PS
| The Panel discussed the paper on the policy on granting compensation for overtime work.
[Paper]
|
|
| 19.1.11
| CQ
| Hon Emily LAU Wai-hing raised a question on education allowances granted to senior government officials. [Hansard "Page 94"]
|
|
