*******************************************************
Following is a question by the Hon Cheung Kwok-che and a written reply by the Secretary for Home Affairs, Mr Lau Kong-wah, in the Legislative Council today (December 9):
Question:
With effect from April 1, 2013, various policy bureaux and government departments (B/Ds) are required to assess the policy impacts on families when formulating all their policies, and to set out the assessment results in the policy papers and Legislative Council (LegCo) briefs concerned. The Government also encourages various B/Ds to consult the Family Council in the public consultation process on new policies which may impact on families. Furthermore, the authorities indicated at the end of March this year that they would conduct a study on the family impact assessment framework (the assessment framework study) within this year to review the effectiveness of the assessment framework and develop a more elaborated assessment checklist. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the details (including the titles of the papers, the B/Ds that drafted the papers, and the dates on which the papers were submitted to this Council) of all policy papers and LegCo briefs concerning policies in respect of which family impact assessments were conducted by the authorities in the past three years;
(2) of the details (including the titles of the papers, the B/Ds responsible for implementing the polices, and the dates on which the papers were submitted to the Family Council) of all policy papers concerning policies in respect of which the Family Council was consulted by the authorities in the past three years;
(3) of the progress of the assessment framework study and the specific details of the new assessment checklist; and
(4) whether it has any specific plans to further improve the existing family impact assessment mechanism; if it does, of the details and progress?
Reply:
President,
With effect from April 1, 2013, a mandatory assessment of family implications has been introduced for all policies. Bureaux and departments (B/Ds) are required to use the three sets of family core values (i.e. "Love and Care", "Respect and Responsibility" as well as "Communication and Harmony") as identified by the Family Council, as well as the impact on family's structure and functions, as the basis for assessing the impact of all policies on families. B/Ds are also encouraged to consult the Family Council on new policies which may affect families. My reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Cheung Kwok-che is as follows:
(1) The list of Legislative Council briefs from April 1, 2013 to November 30, 2015 of which family impact assessment was conducted is at Annex A.
(2) The list of subjects from April 1, 2013 to November 30, 2015 in respect of which the Family Council and its sub-committee were consulted is at Annex B.
(3) and (4) The Family Council will commission a study through the Central Policy Unit to review the effectiveness of the assessment framework and develop a more elaborated checklist as the basis for assessing the impact of various policies on families. The Family Council has endorsed the study scope and recommended that the checklist should be able to:
(a) assist B/Ds in examining the impact of their policies on families and families' functions. Their impact on different forms of families should also be taken into consideration;
(b) reflect different policy objectives and take into account the social and economic situations of Hong Kong;
(c) make flexible adaptations for different policy areas; and
(d) provide evidence-based information.
The Central Policy Unit will invite relevant organisations to submit proposals in end 2015, and the study is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2017. In reviewing the assessment framework, the research organisation will organise focus groups and related activities on training and experience sharing with relevant stakeholders including civil servants. We will conclude the way forward upon completion of the study.
Ends/Wednesday, December 9, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:00
NNNN
