Depts Handle Civil Service Matters

(To watch the full media session with sign language interpretation, click here.)

Matters relating to civil service management are regarded as human resources issues which will be handled by the management of every department, Chief Executive Carrie Lam said today.

She made the remarks ahead of the Executive Council meeting this morning when asked by reporters about the probation extension for Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) journalist Nabela Qoser.

Mrs Lam said she had no comment on the RTHK case and explained that the Chief Executive would not engage in the operational matters of government departments.

"The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is the head of the Hong Kong SAR and the head of the executive government and shoulders a lot of responsibilities, but one will not expect the Chief Executive to get herself or himself involved in daily, routine operational matters, especially when there are proper authorities to deal with those matters.

"RTHK, yes, is a public broadcaster but it is also a government department. Like all the other government departments, the departmental management has to manage its staff in accordance with the rules and regulations of the civil service."

Responding to questions about the objection to a demonstration planned for National Day, Mrs Lam said these matters fall under Police's purview.

"For how to prescribe and regulate demonstrations in Hong Kong, Police are capable of dealing with these applications and on top of that, there is an appeal mechanism that operates independently.

"So again, it is not possible, not feasible and not desirable for the Chief Executive to answer all your detailed questions and let alone to give a view on whether such operational matters have been handled properly."