|
I have just completed my annual meetings with staff union representatives to exchange views on the Department and their work. I took the opportunity to thank our colleagues and the staff unions for doing their utmost and showing their unflagging support in the incidents of excess lead in drinking water in public housing estates. We also exchanged information and views on questions about manpower, retirement wave and the passing on of experience and knowledge.
In order to achieve our new housing production target and performance goals, we have for the fourth consecutive year created civil service posts, and have been supplementing that with term staff and body-shopped personnel, where appropriate, to ease the burden of our colleagues. Along with the increase in manpower, however, comes a "housing" problem for the Housing Department: we need space to accommodate more of us. The Administration Sub-division has already transformed some conference rooms and storage space to accommodate additional staff members, such options are being exhausted. Unless we stop increasing our manpower, some offices will have to be relocated from the current headquarters blocks so that we can accommodate additional staff members. And before we have additional premises of our own, we will need to rent private premises to meet our pressing needs. Some colleagues will unavoidably be inconvenienced, and I count on their understanding and support.
Turning to software, an array of training courses are organised with the support of different Divisions and the co-ordination of the Training & Development Centre. For example, the Development and Construction Division (DCD) has, with a view to facilitating workplace adaptation, launched the "Buddy Scheme" to help new recruits and transferees from the Estate Management Division (EMD) to familiarise themselves with the work processes of DCD. EMD on its part has organised "Housing Management Series" and the "Wisdom of Housing Management", etc, to facilitate the experienced colleagues to share their knowledge beyond books and their valuable experience with the novices. I believe these initiatives will bear fruit over time.
In end-November, I took part in the Staff Club's Fun Fair 2015/16 at the Ocean Park. I was delighted at the overwhelming response from colleagues and even more delighted to see our volunteer team, joined by their family and friends, helped serve the aged from two elderly centres and clients from various voluntary agencies along with their family to make the weekend so memorable. I applaud the commitment of our staff to caring for the needy despite their hectic work schedule.
|
