Following is a question by the Hon Lee Chun-keung and a written reply by the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, in the Legislative Council today (May 25):
Question:
The sixth-term Chief Executive Election was held smoothly on the eighth of this month. Regarding the transition work for the change of term of the Government, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the staffing establishment and estimated expenditure of the Office of the Chief Executive-elect;
(2) whether it has formulated mechanisms and roadmaps in respect of the transition work of various policies to ensure their continuity; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) given that the Government has plans to expeditiously complete the work on the re-organisation of the government structure to ensure that the new government structure will come into operation starting from the next-term Government, whether the Government has deployed or recruited additional manpower to cope with the relevant work; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government's reply to the Hon Lee Chun-keung's question is as follows:
(1) The Office of the Chief Executive-elect (CE-elect) was established on May 3, 2022 to ensure a smooth transition to the new term of the Government. The CE-elect's Office has been operating since the sixth-term CE was elected until June 30, 2022. The CE-elect's Office will support the CE-elect in undertaking major tasks including forming a governing team for the new term of the Government; preparing and formulating the policy plan for the new Government based on the CE-elect's election manifesto; making arrangements with the incumbent Government for a smooth transition including major events relating to the celebration of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the Motherland, and liaising with different sectors of the community and participating in various official activities, etc.
There are five posts at directorate level and over 20 at non-directorate levels in the CE-elect's Office. Furthermore, the Police has deployed suitable manpower to protect the CE-elect. All staff of the CE-elect's Office are accountable to the CE-elect. The Administration Wing is responsible for house-keeping for the CE-elect's Office's day-to-day administration and resource management. The operating costs of the current CE-elect's Office will be absorbed by deployment of the Government's existing resources.
(2) and (3) For the work related to the re-organisation of the government structure, the current-term Government would render full assistance to the CE-elect's Office with a view to securing all necessary approvals as soon as possible. We aim to complete the relevant legislative and funding procedures by mid-June 2022, so as to facilitate the new government structure to come into operation on July 1, 2022. The Policy Innovation and Co-ordination Office is in charge of co-ordinating the relevant work.
The civil service will continue to work closely with the new-term Government. As a permanent and professional team, the civil service will continue to maintain the effective implementation and continuity of policies. In the light of the changes in government structure and the policy adjustments, policy bureaux and departments will fully communicate and collaborate with each other to ensure a smooth transition of various policies.
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