For discussion
on 5 June 1996
EC(96-97)20
ITEM FOR ESTABLISHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE
OF FINANCE COMMITTEE
Head 46 - GENERAL EXPENSES OF THE CIVIL SERVICE
Subhead 003 Recoverable salaries and allowances (General)
Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the retention of the following supernumerary post for the period up to 30 June 1998 in order to enable the continued secondment of a suitable officer to the Airport Authority -
1 Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1
(D4)($126,100 - $129,950)
The Airport Authority (AA) needs to continue to have a senior Government officer seconded to it to fill the post of Director of Corporate Development through airport opening. The present supernumerary Administrative Officer Staff Grade B1 (AOSGB1) post will lapse on 30 June 1996.
2. We propose to retain the supernumerary post of AOSGB1 for two years up to 30 June 1998.
3. We have seconded two officers to the AA for over two years filling the posts of Director of Corporate Development and Director of Administration. Both Government and the AA have found the above secondment arrangement most beneficial in facilitating the taking forward of the new airport project and maintaining effective liaison and interface between the AA and Government, as well as other bodies.
4. Having reviewed the secondment arrangement, the AA has requested Government to continue with the current arrangement of seconding to the AA an officer to fill the post of Director of Corporate Development for the period up to 30 June 1998. The AA has made its own arrangements for filling the post of Director of Administration.
5. The Director of Corporate Development plays a key role in ensuring that the policies and projects of the AA interface smoothly with all the bodies and organisations the AA must work with. Where interface problems arise, the Director of Corporate Development must take the lead to resolve them, to ensure that the very tight time schedule is maintained and that all parties continue to cooperate. The officer thus needs to have good knowledge of both the workings and policies of the AA and its contact organisations, including the Government. In the final run up to opening in less than two years' time, the role of the Director of Corporate Development will increase as the airport prepares for a smooth opening and successful operation. The Director of Corporate Development must -
(a) develop relations with a host of Government and non-Government agencies, including its future business partners. He will need to initiate and maintain close liaison with a wide range of public and private bodies on such issues as airport operational readiness, compliance with environmental requirements and future development plans;
(b) interface with the Legislative Council, various Government Branches and Departments, other public bodies and main interest groups such as the Airport Consultative Committee, the Advisory Council on the Environment and aviation and aviation-related industries (airlines, airport service operators and investors, tourism industry representatives, etc.). He must have the knowledge to explain all facets of the AA's operations to maintain trust and confidence in the Authority and to act as a bridge on issues of concern; and
(c) be the key figure in the Authority's public and corporate relations strategy. He leads and directs the AA team and works closely with the Director, New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office to ensure that the AA's roles as planner, builder and future operator of Hong Kong's new airport and the progress achieved in airport development is heard in the right places at the right time.
6. The AA has considered the option of employing its own Director of Corporate Development. However, the skills required are essentially administrative and managerial, and involve extensive liaison with Government. Senior Government administrative officers are therefore well placed to provide such skills. The AA thus considers that the present secondment arrangement is the most suitable. The Administration also sees advantage in continuing the arrangement to second to the AA a directorate officer with the administrative skills necessary to handle the increasingly complex network of Government/AA liaison that will continue over the next two years.
7. The organisation chart of the AA and the duties and responsibilities for the Director of Corporate Development post are at Enclosures 1 and 2 respectively.
8. The AA was reconstituted from the PAA in December 1995 and is evolving from primarily a project construction organisation into the future operational Authority. The AA will need time to consider carefully the overall future shape of its directorate structure as the organisation moves into its commercial and operational phase.
9. The notional annual salary cost of this proposal at mid point is -
|
$
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No. of Post
|
|
Supernumerary post
|
1,559,400
|
1 |
10. The annual staff cost of this post, including salary and on-cost, is $3,086,502. If Members approve this proposal, we will continue to recover the full staff cost of the proposed post from the AA.
11. In October 1993, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the PAA initiated discussions with the Administration regarding the possibility of strengthening his senior management team by the secondment of senior Government administrators into it at directorate level. We agreed that such a secondment arrangement would help improve the AA's internal co-ordination and external interface in respect of its increasingly diverse range of important and complex activities.
12. In December 1993 we created, under delegated authority, two supernumerary posts for six months up to June 1994 in order to effect the secondment arrangement immediately. In June 1994, Finance Committee approved the creation of two supernumerary AOSGB1 posts to continue the secondment arrangement up to 30 June 1996.
13. The AA has recently requested Government to continue to second an officer to fill the post of Director of Corporate Development until opening of the airport. The workload of this position has increased significantly recently in interface issues related to preparation for the commercial operation of the new airports , and thus his portfolio has been realigned. In order to ensure that the officer has the capacity to handle the many issues associated with opening of the airport, the role of coordinating central support services, monitoring air traffic projections and assisting the CEO with formulating objectives and strategies has been moved to the Director of Administration.revised duty list of the Director of Administration post is at enclosure 3.
14. The Civil Service Branch agrees to the continued secondment of a senior officer to the AA as Director of Corporate Development and considers the grading and ranking of the supernumerary post appropriate.
15. The retention of the supernumerary post, if approved will be reported to the Standing Committee on Directorate Salaries and Conditions of Service in accordance with the agreed procedure.
Economic Services Branch
May 1996
(E4578/p.1-p.5/WIN78)
Warning : The chart is quite large and may take some time to download.
Enclosure 2 to EC(96-97)20
Responsible directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for -
1. External Relations
(a) to oversee and co-ordinate relations at policy level between the AA and Government agencies, including the Government's Airport Development Steering Committee;
(b) to oversee and co-ordinate AA's interface with the Legislative Council and the Airport Consultative Committee;
(c) to co-ordinate AA's input and liaise with Government over the presentation of airport matters to the Chinese side of the JLG/Airport Committee;
(d) to oversee and co-ordinate the handling of all AA environmental policy issues with the Government, and with the Advisory Council on the Environment and other environmental groups;
(e) to oversee and co-ordinate the AA's interface on public interest issues with Hong Kong's aviation-related sectors, including airlines, airport service providers, the tourism sector and other groups with direct involvement in the airport's future operations; and
(f) as directed by the CEO, to act as "troubleshooter" for resolving any interface problems arising between the AA and Government at all levels.
2. Public Relations
(a) to ensure in the period leading up to airport opening that the AA's role and image are appropriately projected and its position on important issues is relayed accurately to the media, major aviation related and other public groups and the general public; and
(b) to co-ordinate the AA's public and community relations activities and when appropriate consult with Director, New Airport Projects Co-ordination Office and other Government agencies.
(E4678/p.7-p.8/WIN78)
Last Updated on 3 December 1998
