Chief Executive John Lee said on Wednesday that his administration will establish a new accountability system for heads of government departments and enhance the appraisal system for civil servants.

The new accountability system will clarify and link the roles of politically appointed secretaries and civil servants, and drive departments to improve efficiency, Lee said in his Policy Address.

The system will push department heads to build effective management teams, remove bottlenecks, and streamline operations. When problems occur, departments must identify deficiencies, make improvements and assign responsibility. Depending on the seriousness of the issue, civil servants may face warnings, reprimands, salary cuts, demotion, compulsory retirement or even dismissal.

Lee said a new investigation mechanism will also be introduced. General issues will be investigated by heads of department, while serious or systemic problems – or cases involving the heads themselves – will be handled by an independent panel.

“Given the large number of executive departments and officers in the government, problems inevitably occur in individual departments," the CE said.

"The causes behind them must be identified in good time and rectified to prevent them from undermining the overall trust that society places in the government, and to avoid causing injustice to the overwhelming majority of our civil servants who are dedicated to their duties."