Public opinion a factor in government’s decision to investigate officials: minister

Hong Kong authorities will take public opinion into account when deciding whether to trigger a new investigation mechanism to hold senior officials accountable, the city’s civil service minister has said.Permanent secretaries of bureaus, who are not covered by the proposed “Heads of Department Accountability System”, will also face scrutiny if they are found to be involved in management failures, Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi-yan said on Saturday.Under the new mechanism, the chief executive, department secretaries or bureau directors can initiate investigations by the Public Service Commission, an independent statutory body that advises on civil service appointments and promotions, if they deem problems in a department to be “widespread, repetitive and systemic”, or if there are indications that department heads are personally implicated.