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The Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) Scheme has proved to be one of the most popular Government web sites in Hong Kong since its inception in December 2000. As at November last year, some 19 million visitors have made use of the ESD website (www.esd.gov.hk) and more than one million transactions have been conducted through the site.
The Government has in the past year strived to introduce various popular public services through the site to enable the public to access Government services on an anywhere and anytime basis.
Principal Assistant Secretary for Information Technology and Broadcasting, Miss Joyce Tam, said today (January 2), "The usage figures recorded so far indicates that members of the public have been gradually receptive to the online delivery of public services.
"In an effort to providing high quality and convenient Government services to the public, the ESD Scheme now provides more than 110 types of online public services from 40 Government departments and public agencies. We are continuing to organise various publicity and educational activities to boost its usage and the volume of online transactions," she added.
Various new public services have been introduced in the past few months.
In October, the Government opened the "Statistical Bookstore" to allow Internet users to purchase statistical publications and tables. A month later, the "Government Bookstore" started to accept online ordering of Government publications such as the Laws of Hong Kong, Gazettes and Government reports.
Other new services included online registration to sit for the Test of Advanced Proficiency in Putonghua, electronic payment for Fixed Penalty Tickets for traffic offences and real time road traffic conditions.
Miss Tam said, "The recently launched Online Appointment Booking for Giving of Marriage Notice is a new arrangement which allows couples to make an appointment through the Internet for giving of marriage notice within 14 days prior to the three-month notice-giving period. This removes the inconvenience to queue up outside marriage registries for giving such notice.
"The private sector operator of the ESD Scheme has also offered a number of online marriage-related commercial services to give more comprehensive services to couples in organising their weddings," she said.
Looking forward to the coming year, Miss Tam said more E-government initiatives were being planned. These include extension of the service to register for more public examinations, sale of public examination publications, and booking for leisure and sports facilities and programmes.
The ESD Scheme is one of the flagship E-government projects under the "Digital 21" IT Strategy. The ESD web site is an innovative one-stop-shop portal providing integrated electronic public and commercial services round the clock.
Apart from Internet-connected personal computers, the services can be accessed through public computer facilities in the Super Cyber Centre, district offices, community halls, public libraries and post offices. Smartly-designed ESD kiosks are also installed in convenient locations throughout the territory at MTR and KCR stations, shopping centres, cultural and exhibition centres, and Government offices.
END/Wednesday, January 2, 2002
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