Spending on civil service overtime allowances has been cut by more than 15 per cent, legislators were told yesterday.
The payments, which accounted for three per cent of total civil service salary, have now fallen to 2.5 per cent under the Enhanced Productivity Programme.
Deputy Secretary for the Treasury Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor admitted overtime allowance payments had risen by tens of millions of dollars each year since 1990.
'But many departments have indicated they don't need to spend so much on overtime allowances in the coming year,' she told the Public Accounts Committee.
Overtime allowances cost $1.7 billion in the past financial year. The Post Office tops the list, with overtime payments accounting for 30 per cent of staff costs.
The level has fuelled ICAC concerns that staff may bribe supervisors to be made eligible for allowances.
