Would-be Hong Kong civil servants set to be tested on national security law

Civil Service Bureau says it will review content of current Basic Law test for recruitment to government and include security legislation in scope of assessment

Civil service group fears move will make job openings less attractive but lawmaker says it is reasonable to make sure all staff understand documents

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Passing the Basic Law test has been mandatory for civil servants since August. Photo: Felix Wong

Published: 8:56pm, 13 Oct 2021Updated: 11:26pm, 13 Oct 2021

Applicants for civil service jobs will need to pass an updated test on Hong Kong’s mini-constitution and the national security law from the middle of next year as part of the recruitment process.

The requirement sparked mixed reactions among civil service groups on Wednesday, with one saying it would make government job openings less attractive and another agreeing with the administration’s thinking.

A pro-establishment lawmaker also said it was reasonable for the government to ensure employees of all ranks understood the two legal documents, which were vital to Hong Kong’s stability.

As Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor unveiled her policy address last Wednesday, she said the city had made progress in safeguarding national security but the to-do list on that front remained “substantial”. She stressed the need to cover the security law, imposed by Beijing in June last year, in training for teachers, civil servants and other public officers and to pass long-shelved local legislation on the issue under Article 23 of the Basic Law, the mini-constitution.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Photo: Nora Tam

In a supplement to the policy address, the Civil Service Bureau said it would review the content of the current Basic Law test for recruitment to the government, and include the security legislation in the scope of assessment to ensure it was “better‑suited to the requirements of the relevant civil service posts”.

The bureau further elaborated in a paper submitted to lawmakers on Tuesday that the updated Basic Law and National Security Law Test could be implemented in mid-2022.