2007-08 Policy Address: A New Direction for Hong Kong
The Chief Executive, the Honourable Donald Tsang, delivered the first Policy Address of the third term Government of the HKSAR at the Legislative Council this morning. He advocates the concept of "Progressive Development" for achieving the goals and targets which he outlined in the Policy Address as the blueprint of Hong Kong’s development in the next five years. Key initiatives include embarking 10 large-scale infrastructure projects, to enhance environmental protection through the implementation of an emissions reduction campaign, to promote heritage conversation by setting up a Commissioner for Heritage Office, to invest in manpower by offering 12-year free education and fully subsidizing courses provided by the Vocational Training Council as well as to modify the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme by relaxing the restrictions on age limit and other prerequisites, to introduce a competition law etc. More highlights of the Policy Address are available here.
However, the Chief Executive failed to address the importance of ICT development in his new direction for Hong Kong. Other than making his promise on the establishment of a territory-wide, patient-oriented electronic record and the provision of radio spectrum for the introduction of BWA services, there is insufficient new commitment in strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a metropolis in this digital age.
As expected, the 2007 Digital 21 Strategy will be announced in the near future. I do urge the government to demonstrate its vision and to commit itself, through the new Strategy, to developing Hong Kong as a world-class, all-inclusive information society.
If you have any comments on the newly-published Policy Address, please feel free to email me at cksin@sinchungkai.org.hk.
CK Sin
New and ongoing initiatives which related to ICT-development are summaries as follows:
Ten Major Infrastructure Projects to Boost Our Economy
New Initiatives
-Strengthen support for Hong Kong enterprises on the development and promotion of Hong Kong brands to enable them to better compete in the Mainland and overseas markets.
-Strengthen support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) including those operating in the Mainland by enhancing the SME Funding Schemes.
-Work closely with the trade to facilitate the latter’s adjustment to changes in the Mainland’s policy on processing trade, including assisting them to upgrade, relocate their operation and develop new markets.
-Step up our economic ties with the emerging markets in Russia, India and the Middle East and help our enterprises tap the growing business opportunities in these markets.
-Issue a consultation paper on detailed legislative proposals on a Competition Bill so that stakeholders can better understand the proposed statutory framework for regulating competition and express their views before we formally introduce the Bill into the Legislative Council.
-Review the front-end electronic services (known as the Government Electronic Trading Services) for submission of six commonly used trade documents by traders or carriers to the Government with a view to improving the mode of service delivery. Our target is to commence the process of selecting service providers in early 2008.
-Provide radio frequency spectrum for the introduction of Broadband Wireless Access service.
-Establish a community-wide anti-spamming task force.
-Examine the feasibility of early release of radio frequency spectrum for the provision of more TV and multimedia programming choices.
On-going Initiatives
-Finalise the arrangements for the setting up of an Economic and Trade Office in Berlin to strengthen our economic and trade representation in Europe.
-Participate actively in the work of the World Trade Organization to bring about continual trade liberalisation and to promote and protect the trade interest of Hong Kong.
-Work closely with the Mainland authorities at the central, provincial and municipal levels to ensure the smooth and effective implementation of the Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA); promoting greater understanding of the opportunities under CEPA; and making use of the standing consultation mechanism of CEPA to seek to discuss with the Mainland authorities on further trade liberalisation and additional market access opportunities for Hong Kong goods and services.
-Encourage more Mainland and overseas enterprises to invest and set up regional headquarters or offices in Hong Kong, and undertaking joint promotional efforts with the Mainland authorities to promote the combined competitive advantages offered by Hong Kong and the Mainland.
-Continue to promote awareness of and respect for intellectual property rights in the business sector, and to assist business, in particular SMEs, to achieve compliance with intellectual property rules.
-Take forward the preparation of related subsidiary legislation for the recently enacted Copyright (Amendment) Ordinance 2007 as well as rolling out publicity and public education programmes targeted at relevant sectors before the new liability provisions in the Ordinance are brought into operation.
-Take forward the review on copyright protection in the digital environment having regard to views received in the public consultation exercise ending April 2007, with a view to releasing preliminary proposals in early 2008 for building up a consensus.
-Publish the 2007 Digital 21 Strategy and pursuing programmes and initiatives therein, so as to harness the benefits of IT for business and citizens and to strengthen Hong Kong’s position as a leading digital city in the world.
-Enable, via a pilot scheme, the commercial exploitation of the intellectual property in the government IT systems originally developed by contractors for creating a better business environment for Hong Kong.
-Operate a new standing offer procurement arrangement for IT professional services that focuses on overall value to the Government and sustains the vibrant economy.
-Explore further opportunities of data centre outsourcing with a view to improving operational efficiency and fostering the development of the local IT industry.
-Implement a pilot e-procurement programme to handle lowvalue, high-volume purchases to improve internal efficiency and encourage external suppliers to adopt e-commerce.
-Strengthen support for information industries, including facilitating market access.
-Maintain government information security policies and practices at very high standards and ensuring their compliance. Advising public organisations and regulated sectors to do the same. Further enhancing public awareness of information security threats and mitigation measures.
-Implement the framework for the migration from analog to digital terrestrial television broadcasting with a view to commencing digital terrestrial television broadcasting by 2007 and achieving a digital coverage for at least 75% of Hong Kong within 2008.
-Study the report of the Committee on Review of Public Service Broadcasting, and planning to extensively consult the public, before deciding on the policy and arrangements for future public service broadcasting of Hong Kong.
-Assess the impact of technological and market convergence in order to facilitate the development of the electronic communications industry and services.
-Prepare for the introduction of legislation to establish a new Communications Authority to enhance regulatory co-ordination and efficiency and facilitate further development of the electronic communications industry.
-Position Cyberport as the one-stop hub by providing a variety of infrastructure, resources and support services to the digital entertainment industry in Hong Kong.
-Promote applied research and development and technology transfer to the industry through implementing the strategic framework for innovation and technology development.
-Enhance collaboration in science and technology with the Mainland at different levels and promoting interflow of technology talents with Mainland cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Pan-Pearl River Delta (PRD) Region.
-Continue to pursue measures to facilitate the movement of people and goods across the boundary, with a view to maintaining Hong Kong’s competitiveness. These include the extension of selfservice immigration clearance to frequent visitors, and developing a “Road Cargo System” that provides the electronic infrastructure for facilitating customs clearance of road cargoes as well as the movement of transshipment cargoes that involve inter-modal transfer (e.g. from land to air).
-Replace the Civil Aviation Department’s (CAD) air traffic control system and developing a new CAD Headquarters on the Airport Island to support the long-term growth of the aviation industry.
-In the context of cross-boundary logistics co-operation, further enhance collaboration on the basis of the achievements so far, and continuing to discuss with the Guangdong authorities measures to reduce cross-boundary trucking cost, with a view to enhancing freight flow and logistics efficiency between the two sides.
-Monitor the implementation of the Digital Trade and Transportation Network (DTTN) services in accordance with the Operating Agreement signed with the DTTN Limited.
-Promote bond market development. Securities and Futures Commission will develop a framework proposal for legislative amendments with a view to modernising the regime for public equity and debt offerings. Hong Kong Monetary Authority will continue to enhance the Exchange Fund Bills and Notes Programme by lengthening the benchmark yield curve to 15 years and developing an electronic trading platform for the Exchange Fund Bills and Notes.
Quality City and Quality Life
New Initiatives
-Promote a culture of innovation, technology and design to the general public, particularly the younger generation to support the development of creative industry.
-Legislate for Producer Responsibility Schemes and, in accordance with the “polluter pays” principle, introduce the fi rst scheme in the form of an environmental levy on plastic shopping bags to address their indiscriminate use.
On-going Initiatives
-Implement the DesignSmart Initiative to promote wider use of design and innovation in industries to help them move up the value chain.
-Enhance efforts to incorporate elements of design and creativity into teacher development programmes, learning and teaching resources, student learning experiences and student assessment with a view to nurturing creativity among primary and secondary students.
-Explore how to co-operate with the Mainland authorities on using latest information technology application to ensure effective tracing of food along the production chain and achieve better food safety management through control at source.
Optimising Our Demographic Structure And Attracting Talents
New Initiatives
-Provide free senior secondary education for all students in public sector schools with effect from the 2008-09 school year. By the time the New Senior Secondary academic structure is implemented, public sector schools will be providing 12 years of free education. We will also provide, with effect from the 2008-09 school year, full subvention for full-time courses offered by the Vocational Training Council for Secondary 3 school leavers. This will provide senior secondary students with the avenue to pursue, free of charge, an alternative pathway outside mainstream education.
-Implement measures to develop Hong Kong as a regional education hub to attract and retain non-local talents. These include increasing the non-local student quota for publicly-funded programmes, allowing admission of non-local students for short-term studies at Hong Kong higher education institutions, establishing a scholarship endowment fund of $1 billion, allowing non-local students to take up part-time work, internships and summer jobs, and facilitating non-local students to stay and contribute to the Hong Kong community upon graduation.
-Review the Quality Migrant Admission Scheme and put in place the review recommendations.
-Step up the promotion of various talent admission schemes and streamline their application procedures.
On-going Initiatives
-Implement a qualifications framework by phases through the formation of industry training advisory committees to develop competency-based qualifications for individual industries, and developing a quality assurance mechanism to underpin the qualifications framework.
-Further to the consultation after issuing the discussion paper “Building a Healthy Tomorrow” in 2005, plan to further consult the public on proposals for health care reform including financing arrangements in late 2007. These proposals include enhancing primary health care; addressing the present imbalance in the public and private health sectors; exploring Public-Private-Partnership both in care services and in the development of medical centres of excellence; developing a territory-wide patient-oriented electronic health record; proposing supplementary financing arrangements such as medical savings and medical insurance in addition to Government’s commitments to increase health care spending to ensure the sustainable development of our health care system.
-Further expand the HA’s “Electronic Patient Record Sharing Pilot Project” to allow more private hospitals, practitioners, residential care homes for the elderly and other relevant institutions to view their patients’ medical records kept at HA upon the patients’ consent with a view to promoting sharing of patients’ records.
-Launch a Central Organ Donation Register (a centralized and computerised database for voluntary registration by organ donors of their wish to donate organs after death) and promoting registration for organ donation among the public through collaboration with relevant organisations.
Developing Democracy And Enhancing Governance
New Initiatives
-Under the Be the Smart Regulator Programme, set up on-line licence tracking facility for food licences. Subject to experience, we will consider developing similar facilities for other licences. We will develop an on-line platform for processing liquor licences end-toend. We will also further engage the business sectors by providing a portal for consultation on new regulations, administrative measures and procedures proposed by Government that would impact business.
On-going Initiatives
-Continue to provide civil servants with training and development opportunities. We shall also continue to enhance the variety and content of the training materials on our e-learning portal, and promote wider use of e-learning, as part of our endeavours to fortify a culture of continuous learning in the civil service.
-Enrich the new government portal, GovHK, taking into account feedback from users. The portal has been officially launched since August 2007 to serve as the one-stop shop for online government information and services.
-Continue to develop new features and applications for the Youth Portal which has been launched since August 2007 to serve as a single window for local youth aged 15 to 24 to conveniently access information and services provided by the Government and other government-funded organisations.
-Review the provisions of the Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance.
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