A statutory body in Hong Kong is set to receive new powers in June to investigate government department heads regarding serious or systemic problems. This move is part of a larger effort to institutionalize official accountability within the government.

A statutory advisory body in Hong Kong will be given new powers as early as June to investigate government department heads over “serious, widespread or systemic” problems, as part of a broader push to institutionalise official accountability. The subsidiary legislation drafted by the Civil Service Bureau, which was submitted to the Legislative Council on Tuesday, sought to grant the Public Service Commission, an independent, statutory body that advises the government on civil service...