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District Administration
The policy objective of the Home Affairs Bureau in district
administration is to promote community development to nurture
civic responsibility and a sense of belonging. To this end,
the District Administration Scheme has been implemented since
1982. The main elements of the Scheme are the District Councils
(formerly known as District Boards) and District Management
Committees. Through the scheme, the Government promotes public
participation in district affairs and fosters among the people
of Hong Kong a sense of belonging and mutual care. The scheme
also helps to ensure that the Government is responsive to
district needs and problems.
District Councils
The third term District Councils commenced their operation
on 1 January, 2008. In addition to the 405 elected members,
there are 27 ex officio members (i.e. Rural Committee chairmen
in the New Territories) and 102 appointed members, making
a total of 534 District Council members. Their term of office
is four years from January 2008 to December 2011.
The main function of District Councils is to advise the Government
on matters affecting the well-being of the people living and
working in the districts as well as on the provision and use
of public facilities and services within the district. The
Government also consults these bodies on a wide range of issues.
Each district has a District Management Committee, chaired
by the District Officer, comprising the Chairman, Vice Chairman
and committee chairmen of the District Council and representatives
of departments providing essential services in the district.
This Committee serves as a forum for inter-departmental consultation
on district matters and co-ordinates the provision of public
services and facilities to ensure that district needs are
promptly met.
District Councils are provided with funds each year to implement
district minor works projects and community involvement
projects in the districts. In 2010-2011, a total allocation
of $600 million has been made available for the 18 District
Councils to implement these projects.
Each District Council operates a meet-the-public scheme,
under which residents could meet Council members face-to-face
to express their views on any district problems. The scheme
has been well received by the public. It also provides a direct
channel to collect public views on local matters and territory-wide
issues for the District Councils, which then reflect them
to the Government.
Area Committees
Area Committees were first set up in 1972 to support the
'Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign' and 'Fight Violent Crime Campaign'.
The present functions of Area Committees are to encourage
public participation in district affairs, help organise community
activities and Government campaigns, and advise on issues
of a local nature. There are now 63 Area Committees.
Mutual Aid Committee
Mutual Aid Committees are building-based resident organisations,
established to improve the security, cleanliness and general
management of multi-storey buildings. As at May 2010, there
were 2,674 Mutual Aid Committees provide a two-way communication
channel between the Government and residents.
Public Enquiry Service Centres
Twenty Public Enquiry Service Centres, attached to the District
Offices, provide a wide range of free services to the public.
These services include answering general enquiries on government
services; distributing government forms and information; administering
declarations for private use; and referring cases under the
District Council members' meet-the-public scheme, the Free
Legal Advice Scheme and the Rent Officer Scheme. The Public
Enquiry Service Centres and the Central Telephone Enquiry
Centre served a total of 1.91 million clients in 2009. |
