Witnessed by Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, permanent secretaries, heads of department and directorate civil servants of the rank of D6 or above swear to uphold Hong Kong's Basic Law, bear allegiance to the HKSAR, be dedicated to their duties and be responsible to the HKSAR government during a ceremony at the Central Government Offices, Hong Kong, Dec 18, 2020. (PHOTO / HKSAR GOVERNMENT)

All serving civil servants including those who joined the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government before July 1, 2020, and all serving District Council members have taken oath or signed a declaration to uphold the Basic Law and bear allegiance to the SAR. 

Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said this on Wednesday in a written reply in the Legislative Council to a query on public officers’ oath-taking arrangement, according to a government press release.

In accordance with the Public Offices (Candidacy and Taking Up Offices) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Ordinance 2021, the city’s district councilors are required to take the oath. 

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In respect of the oath-taking arrangement of other public officers, the HKSAR government is actively drawing up an appropriate implementation proposal and will report to the Legislative Council in due course.

Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, HKSAR 

In October 2020 and January 2021, the Civil Service Bureau introduced arrangements requiring new appointees to the civil service and serving civil servants to sign a declaration to uphold the Basic Law, bear allegiance to the HKSAR, be dedicated to their duties and be responsible to the HKSAR government. 

Saying that all serving civil servants, approximately 180,000, have signed the declaration, Tsang said 129 officers who neglected or refused to duly sign and return the declaration without any reasonable explanation, left the government by end 2021 for various reasons, including termination of probationary service in accordance with the Civil Service Regulations, retirement in the public interest under section 12 of the Public Service (Administration) Order, resignation, or dismissal due to misconduct. 

“The declaration requirement was also extended to government staff appointed on non-civil service terms on or after July 1, 2020,” he said, adding that all the serving non-civil service government staff have signed the declaration.

As at Dec 31, 2021, there were 10,319 full-time and 6,899 part-time non-civil service contract staff, and 5,195 full-time and 860 part-time post-retirement service contract staff, according to the secretary. 

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Following the implementation of the declaration requirement, 149 full-time and 386 part-time non-civil service government staff who neglected or refused to duly sign and return the declaration without reasonable explanation left the government by August 2021, he added. 

"In respect of the oath-taking arrangement of other public officers, the HKSAR government is actively drawing up an appropriate implementation proposal and will report to the Legislative Council in due course,” said Tsang.