Chief Executive Donald Tsang expressed his appreciation to 75 civil servants at a cocktail reception today after Secretary for the Civil Service Denise Yue presented awards to them for their meritorious achievements.

Extending congratulations to the awardees from 38 bureaux and departments, Miss Yue thanked them for their contributions to the Government, their departments and the community.

Well done!: Secretary for the Civil Service Denise Yue commends award winners while Chief Executive Donald Tsang expresses his appreciation to them.

"A clean, professional and politically neutral civil service is an integral part of effective governance and administration," she said.

She noted the Chief Executive had recognised civil servants' contributions in his recent Policy Address, thanking them for their strenuous efforts.

Miss Yue expressed confidence that civil servants would continue to give staunch support to the Chief Executive in implementing the beliefs underlying his policies and governance, and to adhere to the "people-based" principle in serving the community of Hong Kong.

* She Hai-kung is an Assistant Officer 1 in the Correctional Services Department who is dedicated to helping offenders re-integrate into society. He serves as Assistant Scout Leader of the group for young offenders in detention and is an Assistant HQ Commissioner for the Scout Association of Hong Kong. Mr She plays a key role in designing, producing and coordinating community education programmes for the department.

* Paulinus Chan is a dispenser with the Department of Health, working in Princess Margaret Hospital's Ha Kwai Chung General Out-patient Clinic. She won an outstanding staff award for her dedication to improving efficiency and safety in dispensing. She is also active in volunteer service.

* Helen Shi is an assistant education officer with the Education Bureau. She is a Chinese teacher at Clementi Secondary School and has expertise in curriculum development and teaching strategies. Her work has been uploaded to Hong Kong Education City's website and featured in television news programmes. She also serves on committees in the education sector.

* Au Lap-kei is a structural engineer with the Housing Department who has helped develop a new strategy to sustain aged public rental housing buildings. He also mapped out the So Uk Estate phased clearance plan.

Background on the scheme

The Secretary for the Civil Service's Commendation Scheme was introduced in early 2004, to support its commitment to upholding high standards of performance and conduct in the civil service. The awards recognise selected civil servants for consistently outstanding performance.