EC(97-98)83
For discussion
on 12 February 1998


ITEM FOR ESTABLISHMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF
FINANCE COMMITTEE

HEAD 55 - GOVERNMENT SECRETARIAT : BROADCASTING, CULTURE AND SPORT BUREAU
Subhead 001 Salaries

Members are invited to recommend to Finance Committee the retention of the following supernumerary post for a period of two years with effect from 18 March 1998 in the Recreation and Sport Division of the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau -

1 Administrative Officer Staff Grade C
(D2) ($110,000 - $116,800)

to be held against the following post -

1 Principal Executive Officer
(D1) ($92,650 - $98,300)


PROBLEM

The Secretary for Broadcasting, Culture and Sport (SBCS) needs continued directorate support at the Principal Assistant Secretary (PAS) level to formulate and monitor the implementation of the territory-wide recreation and sports policy. The present supernumerary post of Administrative Officer Staff Grade C (AOSGC) (D2) created for the purpose will lapse on 18 March 1998. At the Establishment Subcommittee meeting on 4 February 1998, Members considered EC(97-98)60 at Enclosure 1 which proposed the retention for a further two years. As Members expressed the wish to know more about the organisational set-up of the Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau (BCSB) and the need for the head of the Recreation and Sport (RS) Division to be ranked at D2 level, we withdrew the paper. The organisation charts of the BCSB and the Culture and Sports (CS) Wing thereunder are at Enclosures 2 and 3 respectively. Additional information on the need for the head of the RS Division to be ranked at D2 level is provided in paragraphs 3 to 5 below.

PROPOSAL

2. We propose to retain the AOSGC (D2) to be held against a permanent post of Principal Executive Officer (PEO) for a period of two years up to 17 March 2000, to continue the directorate support of the RS Division at the PAS level.

JUSTIFICATION

3. The CS Wing of BCSB is responsible for formulating and implementing policy on territory-wide recreation and sport as well as arts and culture issues. As illustrated by the organisation chart at Enclosure 3, it is headed by a Deputy Secretary ranked at AOSGB (D3) level, who is supported by the head of the RS Division insofar as her policy responsibility for recreation and sport is concerned.

4. The head of the RS Division was ranked at AOSGC level since 1 April 1985 when it was one of the divisions in the then Municipal Services Branch. This post together with the division were retained and transferred to the BCSB (formerly named as Recreation and Culture Branch) in September 1989. The ranking of the post was downgraded to D1 level in 1991 in view of our intention to develop a greater degree of independence within the Hong Kong Sports Development Board (SDB). When we set up this statutory body in 1990, we expected that the bureau would henceforth play a smaller role in promoting recreation and sports and that the work of the head of RS Division would become more administrative and executive in nature and thus the division could be headed by an executive grade officer at the directorate level, that is, a Principal Executive Officer (PEO). However, experience in the subsequent few years proved that the bureau still needed to maintain its role in overall policy formulation and
co-ordination in these issues. SBCS consequently made a proposal in 1996 to create a supernumerary post of AOSGC to be held against the permanent PEO post, and to assess the job requirements of the post in two years’ time in the light of the then prevailing and projected commitments.

5. Following the review, SBCS considers that there is a continuing need for the RS Division to be headed by an AOSGC, given that the bureau would need to devote significant policy input to move a number of issues forward in the coming two years. The details of the justification are in paragraphs 3 to 7 in EC(97-98)60 at Enclosure 1.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

6. The additional notional annual salary cost of an AOSGC, offset by a PEO, at mid-point is -



$

No. of Posts

New post (D2)

1,360,800

1




Less

Post frozen (D1)

1,144,200

1


216,600

0




The additional full annual average staff cost including salaries and on-costs of the AOSGC, offset by a PEO, is $502,920. We have included sufficient provision in the 1998-99 draft Estimates to meet the cost of this proposal. There are no other additional staffing and financial implications.


Broadcasting, Culture and Sport Bureau
February 1998