Accommodation audit:
Director of Audit Benjamin Tang presents the Audit Commission's report on hotel accommodation arrangements for the Chief Executive's duty visits.
CE accommodation audit report submitted
May 31, 2012
The Chief Executive's Office generally accepts recommendations in the Audit Commission's report on hotel accommodation arrangements for the Chief Executive's duty visits outside Hong Kong, which include the formulation of internal guidelines, more thorough assessment of the different accommodation classes, and proactive disclosure of duty-visit expenditure.
In a press conference today, Director of Audit Benjamin Tang said the commission recommends the development of appropriate rules and principles to facilitate the Chief Executive's Office staff to make appropriate and reasonable expenditure decisions on hotel accommodation. The Chief Executive should be consulted when exceptions have to be made to internal rules and principles.
Other suggestions include seeking approval from the Chief Executive's Office Permanent Secretary to pay him an enhanced subsistence allowance, to provide an effective check and balance, and to consider proactive disclosure of duty-visit expenditure.
The commission reminded Hong Kong Economic & Trade Offices and departments to adopt the moderate and conservative principle, and the audit recommendations set out in its report, when making accommodation arrangements for the Chief Executive. It should also optimise the number of officers to be involved in preparatory visits.
The Chief Executive's Office thanked the commission for the prompt completion of its review and its recommendations.
It agreed with the broad principles as confirmed in the report, that accommodation arrangements should have regard to the moderate and conservative principle on the use of government funds, and should reflect credibly the position of the Chief Executive as head of the Government as well as the status of Hong Kong in the international arena.
As the report's recommendations will affect the accommodation arrangements for the Chief Executive's duty visits in future, the office has forwarded the report to the Office of the Chief Executive-elect for reference.
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here for the full report.
