Cabinet Secretary - Hong Kong

Hong Kong

In Hong Kong, there is a politically appointed Director of the Chief Executive's Office, as well as a Permanent Secretary who is a civil servant.

The position of Director was first established in 2002 as part of the 'Principal Officials Accountability System', and it was not clear whether it was a politically appointed or a civil service position. Nevertheless, its salary level was tied to that of permanent secretaries (Point 8 of the Directorate Payscale) instead of that of politically appointed secretaries. The first office holder Lam Woon Kwong was a civil servant who opted for early retirement directly from this position in January 2005; and therefore did not subsequently take up any civil service or politically appointed position. Lam was not the most senior Administrative Officer and the position did not provide him any seniority over other permanent secretaries.

It was until January 2006, that the appointment of John Tsang to the position confirmed the position as a politically appointed office. Prior to his appointment, John Tsang was a politically appointed secretary, as the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology. In July 2007, as part of the expansion of the political appointment system to introduce two layers of politically appointed junior secretaries, the salary level of the position was changed to tie with that of politically appointed secretaries. The office holder is also officially given the duty to co-ordinate the works of different bureaus (as Hong Kong ministries are known since 1997), making the office holder politically more powerful, regardless of his or her seniority.

The position of Permanent Secretary was first created as a non-permanent position supernumerary post from August 2005 to January 2006, while the position of the Director was left vacant. The salary level was set as the same as other Permanent Secretaries, i.e. Point 8 of the Directorate Pay Scale, aka the D8 rank. From February 2006 onwards, the post became permanent by the salary level was changed to D6, which is lower than Permanent Secretaries in the then 11 bureaux. The office is never filled by the most senior administrative officer as in other countries.

Unlike other countries, the Clerk of the Executive Council is a separate position, filled by an administrative officer of the D2 rank. The office holder nevertheless is required to take an oath of secrecy.