This undated photo shows the Central Government Offices in Tamar, Central, Hong Kong. (PHOTO / INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HKSAR)
HONG KONG – The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has outlined the roles of and major responsibilities of three deputy secretaries of departments created by the current term government, the secretary for constitutional and mainland affairs told the Legislative Council on Wednesday.
The deputy chief secretary for administration (DCS), deputy financial secretary (DFS) and deputy secretary for justice (DSJ) will assist in handling policy matters under the purview of the chief secretary, financial secretary and secretary for justice respectively, with clear delineation of roles and responsibilities, Erick Tsang Kwok-wai said in a written reply to a question regarding the deputy secretaries' reponsiblities.
Major work of the DCS can generally be grouped under four categories: to assist the chief secretary to oversee and co-ordinate the day-to-day operation of the nine policy bureaus under his purview, and to review proposals submitted by policy bureaus; and to co-ordinate projects that involve the remits of various departments as directed by the chief executive and the chief secretary, he said.
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The DCS, in this regard, will lead a District Matters Co-ordination Task Force, coordinating efforts from various bureaus and departments to enhance the overall environmental hygiene and cityscape in Hong Kong; and to share the burden of the chief secretary in attending public events and chairing of meetings, he added.
The CE mentioned at the CE's Question and Answer Session in the Legislative Council on July 6, that all Directors of Bureaus had been asked to set indicators for selected projects in their respective policy areas so as to monitor the work progress.
Erick Tsang, Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, HKSAR
The DFS will co-ordinate and take forward the work of six policy bureaus under the purview of the Financial Secretary's Office, said Tsang.
“Coverage of the work is very wide, including land and housing, transport and logistics, financial and economic development, innovation and technology, industry, etc.”
At the initial stage of this term of the government, the DFS is especially expected to focus more on spatial planning, land supply and construction of housing. He will also participate in the formulation of the Budget for the next financial year.
Meanwhile, the main responsibilities of DSJ initially are to assist in co-ordinating and planning legal work in four areas: enhancing education on the rule of law, the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Basic Law and national security; promoting legal exchange and collaboration in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area; promoting development of LawTech in Hong Kong; and attracting and nurturing legal talents required to complement Hong Kong's development in various professional fields under the national development, Tsang said.
Of the four task forces the government announced on July 6, 2022, the DCS will take the lead in the District Matters Co-ordination Task Force. The first phase of work for the Task Force is to coordinate the launching of a three-month clean-up campaign against hygiene black spots across the territory, he added.
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The DFS will chair the inter-departmental Task Force on Public Housing Projects. As clearly directed by the CE, the Task Force will submit specific proposals to the CE within the first 100 days of the new term of the government, including putting forward proposals for expediting the construction of public housing, with a view to raising the production and speed of overall public housing supply, making Hong Kong a better place to live and work, said the secretary.
“The CE mentioned at the CE's Question and Answer Session in the Legislative Council on July 6, 2022, that all Directors of Bureaus (DoBs) had been asked to set indicators for selected projects in their respective policy areas so as to monitor the work progress."
The DoBs will submit the indicators to the Chief Executive's Office in August, he added.