Government of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, commonly the Hong Kong Government, is led by the Chief Executive
as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR. The affairs of the Government are decided by secretaries
, who are appointed by the Chief Executive and endorsed by the Central People's Government
in Beijing. Under the "One Country, Two Systems
" policy, Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy. The Hong Kong Government, financially independent from the Government of the People's Republic of China
, oversees the affairs of Hong Kong.
is the head of government of the Hong Kong. The Basic Law
designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council
, with a two-tiered system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. The Chief Executive is elected by an Election Committee
, an 800-member electoral college
consisting of individuals and bodies (i.e. special interest groups) elected within 28 functional constituencies
defined in the Basic Law. The winner is then appointed to the position by the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. The Chief Executive is responsible for implementing the Basic Law, signing bills and budgets, promulgating laws, making decisions on government policies and issuing Executive Orders. He is assisted in policy making by the Executive Council.
As of 1 July 1997, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong
officially replaced the Governor of Hong Kong
as the head of the government for Hong Kong from the transfer of sovereignty. The Chief Executive is assisted by the Chief Secretary for Administration
and the Financial Secretary
, and other secretaries
who heads policy bureaux. The secretaries for each government affairs are appointed by the Chief Executive and endorsed by the Central People's Government. The Secretary for Justice
(SJ) is responsible for legal matters of the government and prosecution for criminal cases in the territory. The Independent Commission Against Corruption
and Audit Commission
report directly to the Chief Executive. The current Chief Executive is Donald Tsang
.
decides on matters of policy, the introduction of bills to the Legislative Council
and the drafting of subordinate legislation. The Council consists of 15 principal officials and 14 non-official members. All members are appointed by the Chief Executive from among the senior officials of the executive authorities, members of the Legislative Council, and other influential public personnels. They serve for a period no longer than the expiry of the Chief Executive's term of office.
introduced by then Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa
in July 2002, all principal officials, including the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Secretary for Justice and heads of government bureaux would no longer be politically neutral career civil servants, but would all be political appointees chosen by the Chief Executive from within or outside the civil service. The system was portrayed as the key to solve previous administrative problems, notably the cooperation of high ranking civil servants with the Chief Executive.
Under the new system, there are 3 Secretaries of Department and 12 Directors of Bureau. The system is aimed at raising the accountability of the civil service, so the political appointees are responsible for all their job aspects and will step down if they make any failure. Under the new system, all heads of bureaux became members of the Executive Council, and came directly under the Chief Executive instead of the Chief Secretary or the Financial Secretary.
's policy agenda in an executive-led government. As with the principal officials, these 2 new posts can also be drawn from within or outside the civil service, and appointees may be with or without political background.
Eight new Under-secretaries were named on 20 May, and nine Political Assistant appointments were announced on 22 May 2008. By its own admission, the announcements have been poorly handled, and there has been widespread criticism of several key aspects of the appointments, namely the nationality and experience of appointees, the transparency of the recruitment process and of officials' salaries.
.
.
is under the Financial Secretary's Office.
is led by the Secretary for Justice
(Legal Department
and Attorney General before the transfer of sovereignty). The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for all prosecutions in Hong Kong, drafting all Government legislation, and advising other policy bureaux and departments of the government on a vast array of legal issues.
The current Secretary for Justice is the Honourable Wong Yan Lung
SC
.
The department consists of the Prosecutions Division, the Civil Division, the Legal Policy Division, the Law Drafting Division, the International Law Division, and the Administration and Development Division.
today consists of twelve policy bureaux. Nine of which reports to the Chief Secretary, and the other three reports to the Finance Secretary
. The Chief Secretary is customarily considered to be the leader of the bureaux.
Hong Kong government officials
Hong Kong politicians
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
as Head of the Government, who is also the head of the Hong Kong SAR. The affairs of the Government are decided by secretaries
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, who are appointed by the Chief Executive and endorsed by the Central People's Government
Central People's Government
The Central People's Government is the central government of the People's Republic of China in Beijing. According to the 1982 Constitution, "Central People's Government" is synonymous with the State Council.-History:...
in Beijing. Under the "One Country, Two Systems
One country, two systems
"One country, two systems" is an idea originally proposed by Deng Xiaoping, then Paramount Leader of the People's Republic of China , for the reunification of China during the early 1980s...
" policy, Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy. The Hong Kong Government, financially independent from the Government of the People's Republic of China
Government of the People's Republic of China
All power within the government of the People's Republic of China is divided among three bodies: the People's Republic of China, State Council, and the People's Liberation Army . This article is concerned with the formal structure of the state, its departments and their responsibilities...
, oversees the affairs of Hong Kong.
Head of government
The Chief ExecutiveChief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
is the head of government of the Hong Kong. The Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...
designates a system of governance led by a Chief Executive and an Executive Council
Executive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
, with a two-tiered system of semi-representative government and an independent judiciary. The Chief Executive is elected by an Election Committee
Election Committee
The Election Committee is an 800-member electoral college in the politics of Hong Kong. It was established by Annex I of the Basic Law of Hong Kong. This article defines the method of electing the Chief Executive. It is renewed every five years when the sitting Chief Executive's term has expired...
, an 800-member electoral college
Electoral college
An electoral college is a set of electors who are selected to elect a candidate to a particular office. Often these represent different organizations or entities, with each organization or entity represented by a particular number of electors or with votes weighted in a particular way...
consisting of individuals and bodies (i.e. special interest groups) elected within 28 functional constituencies
Functional constituency
In the political systems of Hong Kong and Macau, a functional constituency is a professional or special interest group involved in the electoral process...
defined in the Basic Law. The winner is then appointed to the position by the Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China. The Chief Executive is responsible for implementing the Basic Law, signing bills and budgets, promulgating laws, making decisions on government policies and issuing Executive Orders. He is assisted in policy making by the Executive Council.
As of 1 July 1997, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong
Chief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
officially replaced the Governor of Hong Kong
Governor of Hong Kong
The Governor of Hong Kong was the head of the government of Hong Kong during British rule from 1843 to 1997. The governor's roles were defined in the Hong Kong Letters Patent and Royal Instructions...
as the head of the government for Hong Kong from the transfer of sovereignty. The Chief Executive is assisted by the Chief Secretary for Administration
Chief Secretary for Administration
The Chief Secretary for Administration , commonly known as Chief Secretary and abbreviated as CS, is the second highest position of the Hong Kong Government...
and the Financial Secretary
Financial Secretary (Hong Kong)
Financial Secretary , often abbreviated as FS, is a position of the Government of Hong Kong. The FS assists the Chief Executive in supervising the policy bureaux as directed by the CE, mostly finance and economy-related, and plays a key role in ensuring harmonisation in policy formulation and...
, and other secretaries
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
who heads policy bureaux. The secretaries for each government affairs are appointed by the Chief Executive and endorsed by the Central People's Government. The Secretary for Justice
Secretary for Justice
The Secretary for Justice is a member of the Hong Kong Government responsible for prosecutions and legal matters. He or she heads the Department of Justice....
(SJ) is responsible for legal matters of the government and prosecution for criminal cases in the territory. The Independent Commission Against Corruption
Independent Commission Against Corruption (Hong Kong)
The Independent Commission Against Corruption of Hong Kong was established by Governor Murray MacLehose on 15 February 1974, when Hong Kong was under British rule. Its main aim was to clean up endemic corruption in the many departments of the Hong Kong Government through law enforcement,...
and Audit Commission
Audit Commission (Hong Kong)
The Audit Commission is one of the oldest government departments of the Government of Hong Kong, known as Audit Department before July 1, 1997. The Director of Audit is appointed by the Chief Executive . The Director reports to the Chief Executive, not the Legislative Council...
report directly to the Chief Executive. The current Chief Executive is Donald Tsang
Donald Tsang
Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen, GBM, KBE is the current Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Government of Hong Kong....
.
Executive Council
The Executive CouncilExecutive Council of Hong Kong
The Executive Council of Hong Kong is a core policy-making organ in the executive branch of the government of Hong Kong.. The Chief Executive of Hong Kong serves as its President.The Executive Council normally meets once a week...
decides on matters of policy, the introduction of bills to the Legislative Council
Legislative Council of Hong Kong
The Legislative Council is the unicameral legislature of Hong Kong.-History:The Legislative Council of Hong Kong was set up in 1843 as a colonial legislature under British rule...
and the drafting of subordinate legislation. The Council consists of 15 principal officials and 14 non-official members. All members are appointed by the Chief Executive from among the senior officials of the executive authorities, members of the Legislative Council, and other influential public personnels. They serve for a period no longer than the expiry of the Chief Executive's term of office.
Principal officials
In a system popularly called the Principal Officials Accountability SystemPrincipal Officials Accountability System
Principal Officials Accountability System , commonly referred to as the Ministerial system, sometimes the Accountability system, was introduced in Hong Kong by Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002...
introduced by then Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa
Tung Chee Hwa, GBM was the first Chief Executive and President of the Executive Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China....
in July 2002, all principal officials, including the Chief Secretary, Financial Secretary, Secretary for Justice and heads of government bureaux would no longer be politically neutral career civil servants, but would all be political appointees chosen by the Chief Executive from within or outside the civil service. The system was portrayed as the key to solve previous administrative problems, notably the cooperation of high ranking civil servants with the Chief Executive.
Under the new system, there are 3 Secretaries of Department and 12 Directors of Bureau. The system is aimed at raising the accountability of the civil service, so the political appointees are responsible for all their job aspects and will step down if they make any failure. Under the new system, all heads of bureaux became members of the Executive Council, and came directly under the Chief Executive instead of the Chief Secretary or the Financial Secretary.
Deputy Ministers and Political Assistants
The government released a report on the Further Development of the Political Appointment System on 17 October 2007,. Two new layers, Deputy Directors of Bureaux and Assistants to Directors (AD) would be added to the political appointments. Each Director of Bureau will be assisted by the two new appointees and constitute the political team, who would ostensibly work closely with bureau secretaries and top civil servants in implementing the Chief ExecutiveChief Executive of Hong Kong
The Chief Executive of Hong Kong is the President of the Executive Council of Hong Kong and head of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The position was created to replace the Governor of Hong Kong, who was the head of the Hong Kong government during British rule...
's policy agenda in an executive-led government. As with the principal officials, these 2 new posts can also be drawn from within or outside the civil service, and appointees may be with or without political background.
Eight new Under-secretaries were named on 20 May, and nine Political Assistant appointments were announced on 22 May 2008. By its own admission, the announcements have been poorly handled, and there has been widespread criticism of several key aspects of the appointments, namely the nationality and experience of appointees, the transparency of the recruitment process and of officials' salaries.
Chief secretary
The Chief Secretary for Administration is responsible for assisting the Chief Executive in supervision of policy bureaux, and plays a key role in ensuring harmony in policy formulation and implementation. The current Chief Secretary is Mr. Stephen Lam Sui Lun.Financial secretary
The Financial Secretary is responsible for preparing the Government Budget in accordance with the Chief Executive's agenda in the policy address, ensuring policy is in accordance to the Public Finance Ordinance. He has to estimate of revenue and expenditure before the Legislative Council each year, and to deliver an annual budget to the Legislative Council, outlining the government's budgetary proposals and moving the appropriation bills. The current FS is the Honourable John TsangJohn Tsang
John Tsang Chun-wah , GBM, JP, is the current Financial Secretary of Hong Kong. His responsibility is to assist the Chief Executive of Hong Kong in overseeing policy formulation and implementation in financial, monetary, economic, trade and employment matters. He exercises control over the...
.
Secretary for Justice
The Secretary for Justice is responsible for prosecutions and legal matters. He or she heads the Department of JusticeDepartment of Justice (Hong Kong)
The Department of Justice is the department responsible for the laws of Hong Kong headed by the Secretary for Justice. Before 1997, the names of the department and the position was the Legal Department and Attorney General respectively....
.
Office of the Chief Executive
The Office of the Chief Executive is responsible for ensuring the Chief Executive receives the best advice and support for formulating and co-ordinating policies. It is headed by the Director of the Chief Executive's Office, who would sit in meetings of the Executive Council.Financial Secretary's Office
The Economic Analysis and Business Facilitation UnitEconomic Analysis and Business Facilitation Unit
The Economic Analysis and Business Facilitation Unit was formed under the Financial Secretary’s Office on 1 June 2004, when the HKSAR Government merged the Economic Analysis Division under the Financial Services Branch of the Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau and the Business Facilitation...
is under the Financial Secretary's Office.
Department of Justice
The Department of JusticeDepartment of Justice (Hong Kong)
The Department of Justice is the department responsible for the laws of Hong Kong headed by the Secretary for Justice. Before 1997, the names of the department and the position was the Legal Department and Attorney General respectively....
is led by the Secretary for Justice
Secretary for Justice
The Secretary for Justice is a member of the Hong Kong Government responsible for prosecutions and legal matters. He or she heads the Department of Justice....
(Legal Department
Legal Department
The Legal Department , headed by the Attorney General, was the department responsible for the laws of Hong Kong until 1997, when Hong Kong ceased to be a British crown colony....
and Attorney General before the transfer of sovereignty). The Secretary for Justice (SJ) is responsible for all prosecutions in Hong Kong, drafting all Government legislation, and advising other policy bureaux and departments of the government on a vast array of legal issues.
The current Secretary for Justice is the Honourable Wong Yan Lung
Wong Yan Lung
Wong Yan-lung, SC, JP is the current Secretary for Justice of Hong Kong since 20 October 2005.-Early years:Wong grew up in a small flat in Tai Wong Street East in Wan Chai. He sold ice cream with his father for a monthly income of HK$300-HK$400. Wong graduated from secondary school at Queen's...
SC
Senior Counsel
The title of Senior Counsel or State Counsel is given to a senior barrister or advocate in some countries, typically equivalent to the title "Queen's Counsel" used in Commonwealth Realms...
.
The department consists of the Prosecutions Division, the Civil Division, the Legal Policy Division, the Law Drafting Division, the International Law Division, and the Administration and Development Division.
Government secretariat
After the reorganisation in 2007, the Government SecretariatGovernment Secretariat (Hong Kong)
The Government Secretariat is collectively formed by the Offices of the Chief Secretary and the Financial Secretary and twelve policy bureaux....
today consists of twelve policy bureaux. Nine of which reports to the Chief Secretary, and the other three reports to the Finance Secretary
Financial Secretary (Hong Kong)
Financial Secretary , often abbreviated as FS, is a position of the Government of Hong Kong. The FS assists the Chief Executive in supervising the policy bureaux as directed by the CE, mostly finance and economy-related, and plays a key role in ensuring harmonisation in policy formulation and...
. The Chief Secretary is customarily considered to be the leader of the bureaux.
- Civil Service BureauCivil Service BureauThe Civil Service Bureau of Hong Kong is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies on the management of the Hong Kong Civil Service. The primary role of the civil service is to serve the community....
- Constitutional and Mainland Affairs BureauConstitutional and Mainland Affairs BureauThe Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the implementation of the Basic Law. The bureau is the intermediary between the HKSAR Government and the Central People's Government and other Mainland authorities under the principles of...
- Education Bureau
- Environment BureauEnvironment BureauThe Environment Bureau is an executive agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for developing policies in environmental protection, nature conservation; enforcing environmental legislation...
- Food and Health BureauFood and Health BureauFood and Health Bureau is a government bureau that manages health programmes and immunisation programmes in Hong Kong.It oversees policies on food and health issues. The Department of Health, Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the...
- Home Affairs BureauHome Affairs BureauHome Affairs Bureau is one of the policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Government.One of the important roles of the Home Affairs Bureau is to enhance liaison and communication with all sectors of the community including the Legislative Council and the general public.Tsang Tak-sing has been the...
- Labour and Welfare BureauLabour and Welfare BureauThe Labour and Welfare Bureau is an executive agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for employment, labour development, poverty reduction and social welfare.in Hong Kong.The bureau is managed by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare...
- Security BureauSecurity Bureau (Hong Kong)The Security Bureau is a body of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for a range of activities, including law enforcement, search and rescue and administer various laws in relation to the security of Hong Kong....
- Transport and Housing BureauTransport and Housing BureauThe Transport and Housing Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for a range of activities such as the internal and external transportation, including air services, land transport, maritime transport and logistics in Hong Kong....
- Commerce and Economic Development BureauCommerce and Economic Development BureauThe Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for a range of activities such as commercial relations, investment, intellectual property enforcement, industry, tourism sector, consumer protection and market competition...
- Development BureauDevelopment Bureau (Hong Kong)The Development Bureau is an agency of the Government of Hong Kong which is responsible for developing infrastructure to enhance development of the economy, employment and growth...
- Financial Services and the Treasury BureauFinancial Services and the Treasury BureauFinancial Services and the Treasury Bureau or FSTB is a part of the twelve policy bureaux for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They are responsible for developing and executing government policy on finance and treasury. The agency is establish on 1 July 2002...
See also
- Legislative Council
- District Councils
Hong Kong government officials
Hong Kong politicians
- Government HillGovernment HillThe Government Hill is a hill in Central, Hong Kong Island, Hong Kong, bounded by upper section of Upper Albert Road on the south, Queen's Road Central north, Garden Road east, and Glenealy west of Hong Kong Island....
- Central Government OfficesCentral Government OfficesThe Central Government Offices houses the most major offices of the Hong Kong Government. Located in Central in Hong Kong, it occupies the lower level of Government Hill.- History :...
- Principal Officials Accountability SystemPrincipal Officials Accountability SystemPrincipal Officials Accountability System , commonly referred to as the Ministerial system, sometimes the Accountability system, was introduced in Hong Kong by Chief Executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002...