Hong Kong Chief Executive Donald Tsang yesterday unveiled the plans to
revamp the Government Secretariat to rationalize the workload
between bureau and streamline policy production.
Speaking at the Legislative Council question-and-answer session,
Tsang proposed increasing the number of bureaus from 11 to 12, and
redistributing some of their portfolios. He said the move will make
it more effective for the Chief Executive to launch key policies to
meet future challenges and opportunities.
"The reorganization aims to rationalize the distribution of
responsibilities between policy bureaus. Putting related
responsibilities under one bureau will help optimize synergy and
enable the government to sharpen its focus on important and complex
issues," he said. "This will better facilitate the Chief Executive
to implement the priority policy initiatives pledged during the
Chief Executive election."
According to the revamp, the 12 bureaus are the Civil Service
Bureau; the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau; the
Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau; the Development Bureau;
the Education Bureau; the Environment Bureau; the Financial
Services and Treasury Bureau; the Food and Health Bureau; the Home
Affairs Bureau; the Labor and Welfare Bureau; the Security Bureau;
and the Transport and Housing Bureau.
The portfolios of the civil service, security and financial
services and treasury bureaus will remain unchanged. The Education
Bureau will no longer handle manpower issues while the
Constitutional Affairs Bureau will take on human rights policy from
the Home Affairs Bureau, and be renamed the Constitutional and
Mainland Affairs Bureau.
The Environment Bureau will focus on environmental protection,
energy and sustainable development policies. The Food and Health
Bureau will work on food safety, health and environmental hygiene.
The Labor and Welfare Bureau will handle welfare, labor and
manpower issues.
The Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau will be reconstituted to
form the Development Bureau, responsible for infrastructure
development and heritage conservation issues. It will also handle
matters involving planning, lands, building and urban renewal.
The Transport and Housing Bureau will be responsible for sea,
land and air traffic, logistics, and housing policies. The Commerce
and Economic Development Bureau will oversee commerce and industry,
technology, tourism, creative industry, consumer protection and
competition policy. The Home Affairs Bureau will, in addition to
its existing duties on district administration and cultural, sports
and recreation, oversee social enterprises and legal aid
issues.
Legislative amendments will be tabled at the Legislative Council
soon, Tsang said, adding the proposal will not change the
accountability system. He said he hopes the new governing team will
be sworn in, according to the new arrangement, before the
third-term administration begins. The new government structure is
scheduled to be implemented on July 1.
The Constitutional Affairs Bureau said each bureau will be
headed by a Director of Bureau. The setting up of the private
office of the additional Director of Bureau constitutes the only
net increase in civil service establishment.
The government will also take the opportunity to align the terms
of employment for the Chief Executive's Office Director with the
Directors of Bureau.
It said as the post is a political appointee performing the
roles and responsibilities akin to those of Principal Officials
under the accountability system, its terms of employment should be
identical to those of Directors of Bureau, instead of pegging to
that of a Directorate civil servant at D8 level as at present. The
additional annual cost is about HK$400,000 (US$51,147.58).
Tsang said that in the coming two months, his government will
follow up on the Action Agenda on China's 11th Five-Year Plan. The Financial Secretary
will start related work on finance, logistics, commerce and
professional services.
On social enterprises, he said the Home Affairs Bureau will
organize a social enterprises summit, which he will chair.
On constitutional development, Tsang said it is time to draw a
conclusion. The government will summarize the discussions in
mid-2007 and publish a Green Paper. A public consultation will be
launched. He said the discussion should not just focus on the date
of having universal suffrage, but should also include road maps and
election designs. He reiterated that all proposals should comply
with the Basic Law.
(Xinhua News Agency May 4, 2007)