Hong Kong's civil service chief has defended the decision to open external recruitment for the director of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, aiming to attract experts in technology for law enforcement innovations. Secretary Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan stressed that external hires would have no path to the permanent secretary role, reserved for administrative officers. The approach represents a departure from the traditional promotion of career administrative officers to such positions.
Hong Kong's civil service chief, Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan, defended the government's decision to conduct open external recruitment for the director of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department during a Legislative Council panel meeting on Monday. She stated that the move seeks to attract external experts who can lead innovations in using technology for law enforcement.
Yeung explained that the department has undergone significant transformations in recent years. “We believe there can be breakthroughs in the use of technology and different approaches to law enforcement within the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department,” she said. “At this juncture, we want to see if there are external experts who can do more in these specific areas.”
She added that administrative officers remain eligible to apply for the position. The open recruitment also applies to the head of the Information Services Department, marking a shift from the longstanding practice of appointing career administrative officers to these senior roles.
Yeung stressed that anyone hired externally would not be able to advance to the next level, the permanent secretary position, which regulations require to be held by administrative officers. This policy aims to infuse fresh expertise to advance technological applications in the department while preserving the civil service structure.