Civil Service Secretary Ingrid Yeung on Monday said there are no plans to test government workers on how familiar they are with national security legislation.

The idea of tests was brought up by lawmakers at a Legco panel meeting to discuss the updated Civil Service Code, which sets resolutely safeguarding national security as a core value of government staff.

Yeung said there will be plenty of national security training for new and existing government workers, but not examinations.

"Training is about integrity and attitude. You can't really test that in an examination," she told lawmakers.

"Yes, you can ask them to quote many examples, but can they actually deliver? That's more important. That's why we will assess their day-to-day performance and their conduct as we appraise colleagues."

The updated code also states that in their official capacity, civil servants cannot criticise any government policies or support opposing views, and they must be loyal to the chief executive of the day and the Central People's Government.

Chau Siu-chung, from the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, asked for clarity on this, saying it's hard to know when someone is speaking whether it's in their official or personal capacity.

He argued that if government workers are not allowed to make public criticism in a personal capacity, it may not be good for overall governance.

Yeung said this is something for civil servants to work out for themselves.

The minister also stressed that if a policy is in the consultation stage, government workers can speak more freely, but once a decision is made they should be extra careful.

At the same meeting, lawmakers also discussed a planned across-the-board three percent pay rise for civil servants.

Yeung dismissed a claim from the federation's Lam Chun-sing that the government has been under pressure from employers to keep rises in check, so that private sector staff don't demand bigger increases.

The minister reiterated that the latest pay decision was made based on several factors, including the government's budget deficit.