The Hong Kong government should use its proposed accountability system prudently to investigate department heads and avoid undermining morale among civil servants, a top adviser to the city’s leader has said.

But Regina Ip Lau Suk-yee, convenor of the city’s top decision-making Executive Council, stressed on Sunday that the system would serve as a reminder for leaders to actively spot deficiencies in their departments and “do better in handling residents’ complaints”.

In a televised interview, Ip, a former security chief and director of immigration, said the government should not launch an investigation just because a problem was persistent, but also take into account how departments responded and whether any probe truly improved administrative efficiency.

“The government will someday trigger the system after its introduction, but I hope it will launch investigations cautiously to avoid dealing a blow to morale among civil servants, as it is difficult to acquire talent for many senior posts now,” she said.

First mentioned in Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s 2025 policy address, the new system is designed to enhance governance, drive top officials to improve work processes and boost management efficiency.

Under the proposed mechanism, the city leader, the top three government ministers and bureau chiefs 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.