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Following is a question by Dr Hon David Li and a written reply by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Joseph W P Wong, in the Legislative Council today (June 27):
Question:
In September 2006, the Government soft launched a new Internet portal, GovHK (web site address: www.gov.hk), to provide the public with one-stop access to government services, as one of the aims. However, it is noted that members of the public who wish to renew their driving licences through the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) life web site, to which the portal offers convenient access, may do so only if they are holders of a digital certificate (such as the e-Certs issued by the Hongkong Post), and the relevant application forms are unavailable on the ESD life web site for downloading. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the retention rate to date for the e-Certs embedded in the smart identity cards upon the expiry of the relevant free usage periods;
(b) whether it will consider, by making reference to the e-Tax Password system adopted by the Inland Revenue Department, permitting members of the public, whose identity have been authenticated by a password of their choice, to access various government services on the Internet; and
(c) whether it will consider providing on the ESD life web site the relevant forms for downloading to give members of the public the choice of applying for government services through the post, thus saving the payment for and the trouble of using the digital certificates?
Reply:
Madam President,
Since March 2007, the Transport Department (TD) has been sending reminder notices, together with application forms, to holders of driving licences that would soon expire. Licence holders could renew their licences by completing the application forms received and returning them with the required supporting documents and licence fee to TD by post or through the drop boxes located at four licensing offices and selected post offices. Those who wish to renew their licences in person at the licensing offices could use the online service on GovHK to book an appointment. Holders of valid digital certificates issued by recognised certification authorities may also submit their applications online. Besides, TD is planning to allow licence holders to use a Personal Identification Number to access its online service for driving licence renewal.
In response to Dr Hon David Li's specific questions -
(a) Since July 2003, the Hongkong Post Certification Authority (HKPCA) has issued a total of 1.26 million personal e-Certs embedded in Smart Identity Cards with a three-year free usage period. Between July 2006 and May 2007, about 340,000 of these e-Certs for Smart Identity Cards have expired, out of which 946 have been renewed by Smart Identity Card holders. The retention rate during this period is about 0.3%.
The Government reviewed its approach to providing the e-Cert services in 2005, culminating in the award of a contract by the HKPCA in 2006. One of the responsibilities of the contractor, which has started to operate the e-Cert services for the coming four years until March 31, 2011, is to address the barriers to e-Cert adoption and develop new value-added services to promote the utilisation of e-Certs.
(b) Authentication of identity by one government department may not be applicable to the online services of other departments. To help departments conduct the necessary risk assessment and choose an appropriate authentication method for their online services, the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer issued a Risk Assessment Reference Framework for Electronic Authentication in October 2004 for their reference. The levels of security afforded by a password system and the use of a digital certificate are different. Departments may permit Internet users to access their services over the Internet through a password system if that meets their security, operation, legal and business requirements.
(c) The ESDlife portal currently provides a hyperlink to the TD website, where application forms for driving licence renewal are available for download. Because the contract between the Government and the ESDlife operator will expire in January 2008, arrangements have been made to link the Driving Licences and Tests sub-section of the Transport & Motoring section on GovHK, the new one-stop government portal, to the TD website to facilitate downloading of the relevant forms.
Ends/Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Issued at HKT 16:48
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