New national security guidelines for government workers will be incorporated in courses offered by the Civil Service College, according to Secretary for the Civil Service Ingrid Yeung.

In last year’s Policy Address, Chief Executive John Lee said public officers are duty bound to safeguard national security and called on government departments to review guidelines and codes.

The Security Bureau announced last month that a new set of guidelines, detailing how civil servants can uphold national security in daily duties, will be released in due course.

In an interview with RTHK marking her third year in John Lee’s administration, Yeung said that although national security has already been included in the college's training courses, updates will be made once the new guidelines are released.

“External challenges and risks for national security are constantly shifting and manifesting in diverse forms, so our training has to be be continuously adjusted to align with changes in the external environment,” she said.

The chief executive has also recently said he hopes to expand the roles and responsibilities for senior civil servants through the introduction of a “senior civil servant accountability system”.

Asked if that would place greater pressure on civil servants, Yeung noted that “accountability for performance” is one of 12 core values outlined in the Civil Service Code and that the principle is well established and not new.

“What the chief executive requires is that senior officials should place greater focus on supervising their subordinates,” she said.

"Civil servants, of course, have their own work responsibilities, but the higher their rank, the greater their responsibility to oversee others.

"It's not possible for one person to do everything."

Asked whether senior civil servants should be held accountable, Yeung stressed that each case was unique.

Changes in the external environment can affect policy implementation while resource limitations may also have an impact, she said.

Yeung stressed that pausing certain policies can be a responsible decision, given that new technologies or methods may emerge and indicate a better way to implement policies.