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Report of the Commissioner for Labour 2000

Chapter 10 : Central Support Services

10.1 There are five divisions that provide essential central support services. They are the Administration Division, Development Division, Information and Public Relations Division, Prosecutions Division, and Staff Training and Development Division.

Administration Division
10.2 The Administration Division assists the Commissioner for Labour in performing the role of a Controlling Officer in financial and resources management by securing financial resources and operates the Departmental Financial Management System to exercise budgetary control over departmental expenditure. The division assumes the primary responsibility for human resource management and planning as well as in office accommodation, office automation, departmental transport and record management so as to enable the functional divisions to offer an effective and efficient service to the public.

Development Division
10.3 The Development Division oversees matters relating to the application in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of international labour instruments and participation in activities of the International Labour Organization. It is also responsible for the department's liaison with overseas and other international bodies. In addition, the Development Division serves as the secretariat of the Labour Advisory Board.

10.4 Another main responsibility of the division is to conduct researches and studies for the collection and analysis of information on labour administration to support the senior management of the department in the development of policies and the forward planning of the services.

10.5 The division is also responsible for the administration of the departmental library. The operation of the departmental library was reviewed in 2000. Enhancements of library services were made through streamlining of work flows and better use of information technology.

Information and Public Relations Division
10.6 The Information and Public Relations Division is responsible for the department's overall publicity and public relations activities through the extensive use of the media and various means. It provides the link between the department and the media and, through the latter, enhances public understanding of the department's policies, activities, services and the latest changes to labour legislation. Another function of the division is to keep subject officers fully informed of public opinion as reflected by the news media.

10.7 The division also co-ordinates the production of major departmental publications such as the Commissioner's Report and newsletters. Other important aspects of its work include assisting in arrangement of talks and lectures on topics relating to the work of the department.

10.8 In 2000, the division handled 7 580 enquiries from the media and issued 160 press releases. A total of 1 608 talks and lectures covering different aspects of the work of the department was given to the public by officers from various divisions. During the year, 1 211 719 members of the public approached different offices of the department for enquiry, advice or assistance.

Prosecution
10.9 The Prosecutions Division and the Legal Services Division help enhance the effects of the enforcement of relevant legislation enforced by the Labour Administration Branch and the Occupational Safety and Health Branch respectively. They are responsible for instituting prosecutions against suspected offenders of the provisions of various ordinances.

10.10 In 2000, the department took out 8 750 prosecutions. Of these, there were 7 901 convictions with a total fine of $52.90 million. (Figure 42)

Staff Training and Development
10.11 The Staff Training and Development Division is responsible for implementing staff training and development policies and plans formulated by the Departmental Training Board for all departmental grade officers under the Labour Administration Branch. The board is responsible for improving the co-ordination and utilisation of resources for the training and development of departmental staff, formulating long term training policies and reviewing the posting policy for the Labour Officer Grade.

10.12 In 2000, the division organised 108 in-service training programmes for 1 553 officers of various grades under the Labour Administration Branch, while 123 programmes were organised by other divisions for 2 390 departmental staff. These programmes included courses on management, vocational training, language and information technology. The department has also stepped up its efforts in upgrading the skills of staff in improving customer service.

10.13 A total of 18 overseas training and duty visits was organised for 24 departmental staff of the Labour Administration Branch. These programmes were designed to increase their professional knowledge, develop their management skills and broaden their horizons with a view to improving the quality of the department's services to the public or preparing for new areas of services.

10.14 The division continues to improve officers' proficiency in Putonghua and their skills in using Chinese in their official writings. In 2000, the division organised six Putonghua courses and two Chinese writing workshops.

10.15 Training and development for staff of the Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the department is provided and co-ordinated by the Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre. In 2000, probationary training was organised for 72 Occupational Safety Officers. There were 17 in-service training programmes covering 2 314 man-times. These programmes covered a wide range of topics including specific technical subjects, core competency skills, media skills, safety audit and computer usage. A new training programme on "Civil Service Integrity" and "Civil Service Shared Value" was organised. It aimed to provide clear guidance to the officers on conduct and discipline. A number of workshops were organised to facilitate experience sharing amongst officers in the branch. Topics covered in these workshops included prosecution-related skills and information management skills.

10.16 Overseas training and duty visits were organised for 13 officers during the year to enrich their knowledge and experience. Three specialists on occupational safety and health and information management were invited from the United Kingdom to provide advice and information to our staff. Topics covered effective persuasion and enforcement strategy, potential of information and technology on managing information. An expert on client service was also invited from Australia to deliver talks in seminars on premier customer service.

| Content |
| Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 |
| Appendix I | Appendix II | Appendix III | Appendix IV | Appendix V | Appendix VI |