Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor attended the Legislative Council Chief Executive's Q&A session today (11th) to explain the details of the reorganization of government policy bureaus.
Lin Zheng pointed out that under the new proposal, the number of policy bureaus will be increased to 15, among which the Transport and Housing Bureau will be split and the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau will be newly established.
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The following is the full text of Carrie Lam's remarks on restructuring the Policy Bureau:
It is suggested that 13 innings be increased to 15 innings
After three months of internal discussions and taking into account the opinions of stakeholders, the current SAR government's proposed reorganization plan is as follows:
1. Create a new Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to take over cultural, arts and sports affairs from the Home Affairs Bureau, and film, creative industries and tourism from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau.
To unify the cultural, sports and tourism matters currently under the responsibility of different policy bureaus, and to centralize the responsibility of the Cultural, Sports and Tourism Bureau to strengthen supervision and promote the development of Hong Kong's cultural undertakings, which is conducive to creating synergies and making Hong Kong the description of the "14th Five-Year Plan" The Sino-foreign cultural and artistic exchange center;
2. Split the Transport and Housing Bureau into two policy bureaus.
The restructured Housing Bureau will make every effort to deal with the most important housing policy, especially to speed up the construction of public housing to help the public to go upstairs as soon as possible; make good use of existing public housing resources to benefit the citizens in need; support long-term public housing tenants; Steps to make "boarding" more affordable; and close monitoring of private housing market conditions, etc.
The bureau can also focus on supervising the Hong Kong Housing Authority and the Housing Department to implement a series of new housing measures of the current government, review and adjust them in a timely manner, and work closely with the Hong Kong Housing Society, the Urban Renewal Authority and the MTR Corporation to increase the supply in conjunction with the strength of the public sector. ;
3. After the separation, the policy bureau responsible for transport will be renamed the Transport and Logistics Bureau, which clearly reflects the dual role of this bureau in charge of internal and external transport matters.
"Transport infrastructure first", Hong Kong will promote a number of local and cross-boundary transport infrastructure projects in the next few years, as well as conduct a territory-wide strategic transport study.
The independent Transport and Logistics Bureau will focus more on handling these internal traffic issues and better take into account external traffic affairs, promote the development of maritime, aviation and logistics industries, and consolidate and enhance Hong Kong's international shipping under the "14th Five-Year Plan". Centre and international aviation hub status;
4. The Food and Health Bureau was reorganized into the Medical and Health Bureau, which is responsible for medical and health policies. In addition to continuing to respond to the new crown epidemic, it also made every effort to promote a number of major policy measures, including the implementation of two ten-year hospital development plans, the development of traditional Chinese medicine, and the formulation of the "Grassroots". Medical and Health Development Blueprint, etc.
In order to ensure the sustainable development of the public healthcare system and to support the development of the industry, Hong Kong also urgently needs to update its public health strategy, strengthen supervision and promote medical technology and drug research and development, as well as solve the problem of medical manpower shortage, and review clinical data, clinical trials, drug registration, etc. To help promote the life and health technology industry;
5. Reorganize the Home Affairs Bureau and change its name to the Home Affairs and Youth Affairs Bureau, highlighting the focus of local administration and youth work.
The Home Affairs and Youth Affairs Bureau will strengthen district-based work and enhance social cohesion, review and formulate overall youth policies and youth development blueprints, encourage young people to participate in public affairs, and promote, coordinate and supervise the implementation of youth work by various policy bureaux .
The bureau will also conduct a comprehensive review of the future of local administration and district councils;
6. Rename the Innovation and Technology Bureau to the Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau to reflect the bureau's mission to promote the re-industrialization policy of I&T applications and smart production.
The Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau will enhance the policy function of re-industrialization, and strive to establish an innovation and technology industry chain, covering scientific research, financing, production and marketization, including considering how to introduce more advanced manufacturing in Santian Science and Technology City in the "Northern Metropolis" Industrial use, allowing smart production to take root in Hong Kong, thereby establishing a more complete I&T ecosystem;
7. Enlarge the Environment Bureau and change its name to the Environment and Ecology Bureau to take over the policies on environmental hygiene, food safety, fishery, agriculture and livestock public health currently under the responsibility of the Food and Health Bureau, so as to generate better synergies, such as after the reorganization. The collection, recycling, transportation and treatment of waste will be integrated and managed under the centralized management of the Environment and Ecology Bureau, which can increase cost-effectiveness, facilitate the implementation of policies and measures such as municipal solid waste charging, and better integrate the development of fishery and agriculture with the natural ecology. Develop modern fisheries and agriculture in a sustainable manner;
8. Integrate and rationalize the division of labor in some policies and related work, unify policy powers, and reduce the dispersion of functions. Examples include integrating the currently scattered human development, poverty alleviation and retirement security policies and assigning them to the Bureau of Labor and Welfare.
9 bureaus will be handed over to the Secretary for Home Affairs for co-ordination
The above restructuring proposals will increase the number of policy bureaus from 13 this year to 15.
I propose that nine of them should be supervised by the Chief Secretary for Administration and the other six should be supervised by the Financial Secretary, so that the division of work between the two Secretaries will be more even.
As I pointed out in the "Northern Metropolitan Region" section, the next government may consider establishing the post of Deputy Secretary to facilitate and coordinate large-scale regional development projects such as "Northern Metropolis Region" and "Lantau Tomorrow Vision".
Issues that also require high-level coordination include cross-agency issues such as national security, climate change, and human policy.
As the establishment of the post of Deputy Secretary is related to the style of governance, it should be left to the consideration of the Chief Executive-designate.
We will issue to the Legislative Council today a document proposing the reorganization plan (see Annex) to explain in detail.
Under the leadership of the Chief Secretary for Administration, relevant secretaries and responsible colleagues will explain the relevant proposals to the Legislative Council Panel and listen to members' opinions.
Members can also express their views during the debate on the thank-you motion in the Policy Address.
Our goal is to forward the proposed plan and Members' views to the Chief Executive-designate for consideration after the Chief Executive's election on March 27 this year.
The current Government will fully cooperate and submit to the Legislative Council as soon as possible a restructuring plan that the Chief Executive-designate deems appropriate.
We need to complete all the relevant approval procedures by early June this year, so that the chief executive-designate has sufficient time to complete the constitutional process for the appointment of key officials, and ensure that the new government structure can be put into operation on July 1 this year.
In the "Policy Address", Carrie Lam announced the reorganization of the government policy bureau.
(File photo/Photo by Luo Junhao)
It is suggested that the Observatory should be transferred to the Environment Bureau
The document submitted by the government to the Legislative Council explained in detail how to "unify policy authority and reduce the dispersion of functions". Specific recommendations include:
- Consolidate the manpower development, poverty alleviation and retirement protection policies currently scattered in the Chief Secretary for Administration's Private Office, the Labour and Welfare Bureau and other policy bureaux, and assign them to the Labour and Welfare Bureau;
- Allocate child rights-related work under the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau to the Labour and Welfare Bureau, which is responsible for child policy;
- Allocate the Women's Policy and Community Investment and Inclusion Fund from the Labour and Welfare Bureau to the Home Affairs and Youth Affairs Bureau, which is responsible for family affairs and community development;
- Allocate the Hong Kong Observatory from the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau to the Environment and Ecology Bureau responsible for addressing climate change; and
- Transfer the public fill management policy from the Environment Bureau to the Development Bureau, which is responsible for public works planning and the construction sector.
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