The Government Secretariat () is the collective administrative headquarters of the

Government of Hong Kong The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover of Hong Kong. ...

. It is collectively formed by the offices of the Chief Secretary and of the

Financial Secretary Financial secretary is an administrative and executive government position within the governance of a state, corporation, private or public organization, small group or other body with financial assets. A financial secretary oversees policy con ...

as well as thirteen policy bureaux. The offices are officially known as "''Government Secretariat: Offices of the Chief Secretary for Administration and the Financial Secretary''", and the bureaux are officially known as "'' ortfolioBureau, Government Secretariat''" or "''Government Secretariat: ortfolioBureau''".

Chart

History

The structure of the Government Secretariat has undergone periodic changes.

The McKinsey Report

Governor Sir Murray MacLehose commissioned

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company (informally McKinsey or McK) is an American multinational strategy and management consulting firm that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. Founded in 1926 by James O. McKinse ...

to conduct a study on the structure of the

Hong Kong Government The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the Executive (government), executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the ...

. Sir MacLehose subsequently restructured the Government Secretariat pursuant to recommendations in the McKinsey Report in 1973. Branches of the Government Secretariat under the Colonial Secretary: * Environment Branch (-1981) * Home Affairs Branch * Social Services Branch * Housing Branch * Security Branch * Civil Service Branch * New Territories Branch (1974-) * Administration Branch (1975-1978) Branches of the Government Secretariat under the

: * Financial Branch (-1976); replaced by the Monetary Affairs Branch (1976-) * Economic Services Branch

Reorganisation in the 1980s

New branches of the Government Secretariat were established in the 1980s. Branches of the Government Secretariat under the Chief Secretary: * Environment Branch (-1981) * Home Affairs Branch * Social Services Branch (-1983); replaced by the Health & Welfare Branch (1983-) * Housing Branch * Security Branch * Civil Service Branch * New Territories Branch (-1981); replaced by the City & N.T. Administration Branch (1981-1983) and renamed the District Administration Branch (1983-) * News Branch (1979-1981) * Education Branch (1980-1983); renamed the Education & Manpower Branch (1983-) * Transport Branch (1981-) * Lands & Works Branch (1981-) * General Duties Branch (1982-) * Municipal Services Branch (1985-) Branches of the Government Secretariat under the

: * Economic Services Branch * Monetary Affairs Branch (1976-) * Trade & industry Branch (1982-)

1989 reorganisation

In the 1 September 1989 reorganisation, the Recreation and Culture Branch (RCB) was created, taking on some duties from the Municipal Services Branch, such as for culture and recreation, sports, antiquities and

country parks A country park is a natural area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment. United Kingdom History In the United Kingdom, the term ''country park'' has a specific meaning. There are around 250 designated c ...

management, and others from the Administrative Services and Information Branch, including broadcasting, entertainment and

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governmen ...

policy. Both branches then ceased to exist. The RCB operated as a Broadcasting, Entertainment and Administration wing, which covered

RTHK Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is the public broadcasting service of Hong Kong. GOW, the predecessor to RTHK, was established in 1928 as the first broadcasting service in Hong Kong. As a government department under the Commerce and Econom ...

and

TELA Tela is a town, with a population of 39,920 (2023 calculation), and a municipality in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the Atlántida department, department of Atlantida. History Colonial era Tela was founded by th ...

, and the Recreation and Culture wing, with responsibilities including sport. Branches of the Government Secretariat under the Chief Secretary: * General Duties Branch (-1990) * Constitutional Affairs Branch * Education & Manpower Branch * Civil Service Branch * Home Affairs Branch * Planning, Environment & Lands Branch * Broadcasting, Culture & Sports Branch * Security Branch * Health & Welfare Branch * Transport Branch * Housing Branch (1994-) Branches of the Government Secretariat under the

: * Finance Branch * Works Branch * Economic Services Branch * Monetary Affairs Branch (-1993); replaced by the Financial Services Branch (1993-) * Trade & industry Branch

Structure of the Government Secretariat, 1997-2002

Branches of the Government Secretariat under the

Chief Secretary for Administration The chief secretary for administration is the second-highest government official in Hong Kong, right after the Chief Executive of Hong Kong. When the chief executive is on leave, the chief secretary for administration will act on their behalf ...

: * Education Bureau * Constitutional Affairs Bureau * Civil Service Bureau * Home Affairs Bureau * Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau (1997–99); renamed the Planning and Lands Bureau (2000-) * Environment and Food Bureau (2000-) * Housing Bureau * Security Bureau * Health and Welfare Bureau * Transport Bureau Bureaux under the

: * Broadcasting, Culture and Sports Bureau (1997–98) * Information Technology and Broadcast Bureau (1998-) * Works Bureau * Economic Services Bureau * Finance Bureau * Financial Services Bureau * Trade and Industry Bureau

Structure of policy bureaux, 2002-2007

The Government Secretariat was reorganised in Tung Chee-hwa's second term upon the implementation of the

Principal Officials Accountability System In Hong Kong, the Principal Officials Accountability System ( zh, t=主要官員問責制, labels=no) was introduced by inaugural chief executive Tung Chee Hwa in July 2002. It is a system whereby all principal officials, including the Chie ...

on 1 July 2002: *

Civil Service Bureau The Civil Service Bureau (CSB) is a policy bureau under the Government Secretariat of the Government of Hong Kong and is responsible for the formulation and implementation of policies on the management of the Hong Kong Civil Service. The Civi ...

*Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau * Constitutional Affairs Bureau *

Economic Development and Labour Bureau The Economic Development and Labour Bureau (), headed by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, was responsible for economic development and labour issues in the Hong Kong Government. It was abolished on 1 July 2007, with its function ...

Education and Manpower Bureau The Education Bureau (EDB) is a policy bureau responsible for formulating and implementing education policies in Hong Kong. The bureau is headed by the Secretary for Education and oversees agencies including University Grants Committee a ...

Environment, Transport and Works Bureau The Environment, Transport and Works Bureau (ETWB) was formerly a policy bureau of the Hong Kong Government in existence from 2002 to 2007. It was responsible for: *Environmental protection *Transport in Hong Kong, Transport *Public works *Waste ...

Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau The Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau (FSTB) is a part of the 15 policy bureaux for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. They are responsible for developing and executing government policy on finance and treasury. The agen ...

Health, Welfare and Food Bureau The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) was a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong from 2007 to 2022 that managed food hygiene, environmental hygiene and health policies in Hong Kong. It was led by the Secretary for Food and Health (SFH) du ...

Home Affairs Bureau The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau () is a policy bureau of the Hong Kong Government. The bureau has general responsibility over local administration, with a remit covering youth affairs, family planning, women's affairs, social development, f ...

* Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau * Security Bureau

Structure of policy bureaux, 2007-2022

A reorganisation of the secretariat was announced by

Donald Tsang Sir Donald Tsang Yam-kuen (; born 7 October 1944) is a former Hong Kong civil servant who served as the second Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2005 to 2012. Tsang joined the colonial civil service as an Executive Officer in 1967, occupyi ...

after his re-election as

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

in 2007. The number of

policy bureaux The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (commonly known as the Hong Kong Government or HKSAR Government) is the executive authorities of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 July 1997, following the handover of Hong Kong. ...

was increased from 11 to 12 as a consequence of this re-organisation; minor adjustments were also made to the responsibilities of the principal officials. Then-Chief Executive

Leung Chun-ying Leung Chun-ying ( zh, t=梁振英; born 12 August 1954), also known as CY Leung, is a Hong Kong politician and chartered surveyor who has served as vice-chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Confe ...

established the

Innovation and Technology Bureau Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB) is a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong. It is responsible for policy matters on the development of innovation and technology and information technology which are the key drivers in ...

in 2015. Bureaux under the

: *

Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau is a ministerial-level policy bureaux of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for the implementation of the Basic Law, including electoral matters and promotion of equal opportunities and ...

Education Bureau The Education Bureau (EDB) is a policy bureau responsible for formulating and implementing education policies in Hong Kong. The bureau is headed by the Secretary for Education and oversees agencies including University Grants Committee ...

Environment Bureau The Environment Bureau (ENB; ) is a defunct policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong in operation from 2007 to 2022. It was responsible for developing policies in environmental protection, energy, climate change, sustainable development, n ...

Food and Health Bureau The Food and Health Bureau (FHB) was a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong from 2007 to 2022 that managed food hygiene, environmental hygiene and health policies in Hong Kong. It was led by the Secretary for Food and Health (SFH) du ...

Labour and Welfare Bureau The Labour and Welfare Bureau () is a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for employment, labor-development, manpower, human resources management, poverty-reduction, and social welfare in Hong Kong. The bureau is managed ...

* Security Bureau *

Transport and Housing Bureau The Transport and Housing Bureau (THB) was a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong between 2007 and 2022, responsible for a range of policies such as the internal and external transportation, including air transport, land transport, ...

Bureaux under the

: *

Commerce and Economic Development Bureau The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau is a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for policy matters on Hong Kong's external commercial relations, inward investment promotion, intellectual property protection, indust ...

Development Bureau The Development Bureau (DEVB; ) is a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong responsible for urban planning and renewal, land administration, infrastructure development, building safety, landscape, greening & tree development, water suppl ...

(2015-)

Present Structure of the Government Secretariat, 2022-

Pursuant to the 2021 Policy address,

Carrie Lam Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor ( Cheng; ; born 13 May 1957) is a retired Hong Kong politician who served as the fourth Chief Executive of Hong Kong from 2017 to 2022, after serving as Chief Secretary for Administration for five years. After g ...

announced a government restructuring proposal in January 2022 to be considered and implemented by the Chief Executive-elect returned by the 2022 Chief Executive election. The proposal was adopted by Chief Executive-elect

John Lee Ka-chiu John Lee Ka-chiu ( zh, t=李家超; born 7 December 1957) is a Hong Kong politician and former police officer who is the fifth and current Chief Executive of Hong Kong, chief executive of Hong Kong. Originally a police officer, Lee served a ...

; requisite funding was approved by the Finance Committee of the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

on 10 June 2022. Bureaux under the

: *

Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau (CSTB) is one of the fifteen policy bureaux of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The bureau is responsible for the policy portfolios of culture, sports and tourism. The agency was established on 1 Jul ...

Environment and Ecology Bureau Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, referring respectively to all living and non-living things occurring naturally and the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism ...

* Health Bureau * Home and Youth Affairs Bureau *

* Security Bureau Bureaux under the

: *

Housing Bureau Housing Bureau (HB) is a policy bureau of the Government of Hong Kong. It is responsible for the housing portfolios. The agency was established on 1 July 2022. The current (since 1 July 2022) Secretary for Housing is Winnie Ho. This bureau wa ...

* Innovation, Technology & Industry Bureau *

Transport and Logistics Bureau Transport and Logistics Bureau () is a policy bureau for the Government of Hong Kong. It is responsible for the transport and logistics policy portfolios. The agency was established on 1 July 2022, when the housing portfolios of the former Transp ...

Reorganisation Proposals

2012 Proposal

In April 2012, Chief Executive-elect

announced his plan to reform the government, "aimed at providing better service to the public while boosting governance". Under the plan, two more deputy secretaries are to be created – a new deputy chief secretary and deputy financial secretary – to join the chief secretary, financial secretary, and secretary for justice.Lee, Colleen; So, Peter; Ng, Kang-chung (8 June 2012). "'Business as usual' for CY if the plan fails". ''South China Morning Post'' Leung announced his desire to create a Culture Bureau; Housing and Transport would be split into two bureaux and Housing would merge with Lands and planning. The newly created Deputy chief secretary position will be responsible for the Labour and Welfare, Education and cultural affairs bureaux. The Chief Secretary is to oversee the environment, Food and health, Home affairs, Security, Civil service, and Constitutional and mainland affairs. The Financial Secretary is to oversee Housing, planning and lands, Works, Transport and Financial Services and the treasury bureaux. The Deputy financial secretary will be in overall charge of the Commerce, industrial and tourism, as well as the Information and technology bureaux.Mary Ma, (27 April 2012
"Top choice closing in"
. ''The Standard'' To allow for a smooth transition, the government agreed to table Leung's restructuring plan before LegCo before it dissolved for the summer. However, Pan Democrats believed careful scrutiny was necessary, and strongly opposed the plan to rush through the changes;

People Power "People power" is a political slogan denoting the Populism, populist driving force of any social movement which invokes the authority of grassroots opinion and Will (philosophy), willpower, usually in opposition to that of conventionally organis ...

representatives in Legco warned they would table some 900 motions at the Finance Committee meeting on 15 June and over 100 amendments at the plenary council meeting on 20 June. Bureaux under the

: *Civil Service Bureau *Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau *Environment Bureau *Food and Health Bureau *Home Affairs Bureau *Security Bureau Bureaux under the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration: *Education Bureau *Labour and Welfare Bureau *Culture Bureau Bureaux under the

: *Financial Services and the Treasury Bureau *Housing, Planning and Lands Bureau *Transport and Works Bureau Bureaux under the Deputy Financial Secretary: *Commerce and Industries Bureau *Technology and Communication Bureau

References

External links

Re-organisation of Policy Bureaux of the Government Secretariat
{{authority control Hong Kong government departments and agencies