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Language test proposal

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PROFICIENCY in Chinese may be included in a new recruitment scheme which would standardise terms for local and overseas civil servants, the Secretary for the Civil Service, Anson Chan Fang On-sang, told legislators.

A recent policy change allows expatriate contract staff to switch to local terms as an interim measure, but Mrs Chan said the Government was heading towards a new, long-term package.

The package was intended to remove ''the distinction between local and overseas conditions of service and to work towards a longer-term solution''.

''We have already stated on numerous occasions that we intended to consult interested parties on the longer-term arrangements, and part of these arrangements might well include a language proficiency test,'' she said.

''But we have first of all to determine whether a language proficiency test is desirable and if so at what level it should be pitched.'' Mrs Chan said that up to October 4, a total of 81 overseas contract officers had applied to switch to local terms. The Government was examining all applications and none had been approved so far.

Legislator Henry Tang Ying-yen asked why no formal consultation exercise was held before the Government proceeded with the new policy.

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