20th July 2023 – (Hong Kong) The Task Force on District Governance has convened its first meeting today to review the implementation of initiatives endorsed by the Steering Committee on District Governance. The Task Force is chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, and aims to improve district governance and address community concerns.
According to Mr Cheuk, district governance is crucial to people’s livelihood, and the government is committed to improving it. He will spearhead and coordinate district work, guide departments to implement policy measures and address district issues, to make government services more effective and targeted in response to the public’s needs.
The Steering Committee, chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration, held its first meeting on July 12, and formulated strategies in relation to five key areas of community interest. The Task Force discussed the implementation details and timetable for each area at the meeting.
Firstly, to expand after-school care service and enhance support for parents, the Social Welfare Department will launch the School-based After School Care Service Pilot Scheme in the new school year. This will allow students in need to stay after school to receive care and learning support. The Education Bureau will identify primary schools with more target students in districts with a higher concentration of subdivided unit households, and provide 50 primary schools with a maximum of 3,000 service quotas in total.
Secondly, to care for the elderly and enhance community support, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will replace and improve existing fitness equipment in various districts, including setting up additional fitness equipment for the elderly in 12 leisure venues in this financial year. The department will also increase recreational activities suitable for the elderly and provide umbrellas for loan to the elderly in need on a trial basis in 18 major parks across the territory in the fourth quarter of this year. The Social Welfare Department will also strengthen its resources and efforts in identifying and caring for elders in need, including identifying hidden elders and carers in need through home visits by the District Services and Community Care Teams for referral to the SWD and social welfare units for follow-up and support.
Thirdly, to foster clean markets and mobilise the community to participate in anti-rodent work, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will improve the environmental hygiene of public markets and cooked food markets on various fronts. This includes improving the hardware of toilets in about 30 venues and their cleansing services, strengthening inspection and enforcement against irregularities such as shopfront extensions by stalls, and expediting the overhaul of market stalls by utilising “Design for Manufacture and Assembly” and “Modular Integrated Construction” on a trial basis at suitable venues on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories. The department will also adopt a multi-pronged approach in enhancing anti-rodent work.
Fourthly, to enhance public order and combat crimes on all fronts, the Police will further strengthen patrol coverage and the visibility of enforcement. They will step up patrols and installation of closed-circuit television at crime blackspots and crowded hotspots based on risk assessment and district intelligence. The Customs and Excise Department will also intensify its efforts in combatting illicit cigarettes, copyright infringement offences, and unfair trade practices, including conducting patrols at popular tourist shopping spots and parallel trading hotspots.
Lastly, to improve pedestrian facilities and ensure road safety, the Highways Department will expand the repaving of footpaths, with the target of commencing works on a total of 20 sections of public footpaths by the end of this year. The Transport Department will also install new auxiliary devices with red light beam projections at pedestrian crossing blackspots in various districts, with the target of completing installation at a total of 100 locations by the end of next year.
In addition to the above initiatives, the Task Force also reviewed the experience of displaying publicity materials in celebration of the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They have instructed departments to start preparatory work for making related arrangements to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Task Force also received a report on the work of the Care Teams and directed them to enhance cooperation with departments in suitable service areas.
Mr Cheuk reminded attending Heads of Departments that the Central Government attaches great importance to the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in improving district governance. He urged departments to actively follow up on related work and demonstrate to the community that the Hong Kong civil service is efficient and working wholeheartedly for the people, with a view to enhancing the public’s sense of achievement and contentment.
In May, the Government announced proposals on improving district governance, including reforming the District Councils and strengthening the district governance structure. Under the new district governance structure, the Steering Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration will be responsible for taking a leading role in the overall strategies, policies and measures, work priorities, and resource allocation of district governance. The Task Force chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration will be responsible for steering and coordinating the district work of various bureaux and departments, implementing the policies and measures concerned, and coordinating inter-departmental andor cross-district issues as necessary.
Improving district governance is a crucial aspect of the Hong Kong government’s effort to address community concerns and enhance the public’s sense of achievement and contentment. By convening the Task Force on District Governance, the government aims to spearhead and coordinate district work, guide departments to implement policy measures, and follow up on district issues, making government services more effective and targeted in response to the public’s needs.
The Task Force’s first meeting reviewed the implementation of initiatives endorsed by the Steering Committee on District Governance in five key areas of community interest. The initiatives aimed to expand after-school care service and enhance support for parents, care for the elderly and enhance community support, foster clean markets and mobilize the community to participate in anti-rodent work, enhance public order and combat crimes on all fronts, and improve pedestrian facilities and ensure road safety.
To expand after-school care service and enhance support for parents, the Social Welfare Department will launch the School-based After School Care Service Pilot Scheme in the new school year. This will provide care and learning support to students in need, and the Education Bureau will identify primary schools with more target students in districts with a higher concentration of subdivided unit households, providing 50 primary schools with a maximum of 3,000 service quotas in total.
In caring for the elderly and enhancing community support, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department will replace and improve existing fitness equipment in various districts, including setting up additional fitness equipment for the elderly in 12 leisure venues in this financial year. The department will also increase recreational activities suitable for the elderly and provide umbrellas for loan to the elderly in need on a trial basis in 18 major parks across the territory in the fourth quarter of this year. The Social Welfare Department will strengthen its resources and efforts in identifying and caring for elders in need, including identifying hidden elders and carers in need through home visits by the District Services and Community Care Teams for referral to the SWD and social welfare units for follow-up and support.
Efforts to foster clean markets and mobilize the community to participate in anti-rodent work will be led by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, which will improve the environmental hygiene of public markets and cooked food markets on various fronts. This includes improving the hardware of toilets in approximately 30 venues and their cleansing services, strengthening inspection and enforcement against irregularities such as shopfront extensions by stalls, and expediting the overhaul of market stalls by utilizing “Design for Manufacture and Assembly” and “Modular Integrated Construction” on a trial basis at suitable venues on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon, and the New Territories. The department will also adopt a multi-pronged approach in enhancing anti-rodent work, including strengthening overnight rodent control teams, active adoption of new rodent detection and control technologies, and joining hands with relevant departments to drive participation by all sectors in anti-rodent work.
To enhance public order and combat crimes on all fronts, the Police will strengthen patrol coverage and the visibility of enforcement. They will step up patrols and installation of closed-circuit television at crime blackspots and crowded hotspots based on risk assessment and district intelligence. The Customs and Excise Department will also intensify its efforts in combating illicit cigarettes, copyright infringement offenses, and unfair trade practices, including conducting patrols at popular tourist shopping spots and parallel trading hotspots.
Finally, to improve pedestrian facilities and ensure road safety, the Highways Department will expand the repaving of footpaths, with the target of commencing works on a total of 20 sections of public footpaths by the end of this year. The Transport Department will also install new auxiliary devices with red light beam projections at pedestrian crossing blackspots in various districts, with the target of completing installation at a total of 100 locations by the end of next year.
Apart from these initiatives, the Task Force also reviewed the experience of displaying publicity materials in celebration of the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They instructed departments to start preparatory work for making related arrangements to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Task Force also received a report on the work of the Care Teams and directed them to enhance cooperation with departments in suitable service areas.
Mr Cheuk emphasized the importance of improving district governance and urged departments to actively follow up on related work, demonstrating that the Hong Kong civil service is efficient and working wholeheartedly for the people. The government’s proposals on improving district governance, including reforming the District Councils and strengthening the district governance structure, aim to enhance the public’s sense of achievement and contentment. The Steering Committee and the Task Force on District Governance will work together to achieve these goals.
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