Potential government hires will be required to demonstrate a greater understanding of the legal system to improve administration by law, especially at the city and county levels, a senior official said yesterday.

"Government employees are expected to carry out statutory governmental functions, so they must be familiar with the relevant restrictions, regulations and procedures," Zhao Zhenhua, deputy director of the government legal institution research center under the State Council's Legislative Affairs Office, said in an online interview with www.gov.cn.

Being accountable for the examinations would also expand their legal awareness, he said.