Row over promotion scheme
A SCHEME to speed up localisation in the Legal Department was far from satisfactory, the Local Crown Counsel Association said in a letter to Governor Chris Patten.
The association said the Development Posts Scheme (DPS), which offers 18 months' training to local Senior Crown Counsel to help promotion to directorate level, was ineffective.
It appealed to Mr Patten on the issue last month, but he said the DPS had increased the number of local directorate officers.
Official statistics show that in December 1990, five of the 52 directorate officers were local, compared with 11 locals out of a 53-strong directorate staff now.
However, the letter said of the five DPS trainees promoted, four had 10 years' experience, and the other post required the use of Chinese language.
Also, the scheme was not fair because those who participated left their duties to their colleagues, it claimed.
The association estimated the scheme would cost more than $10 million per year, not $1.5 million Legco was told.
