Opening remarks by S for S at LegCo Finance Committee special meeting
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Chairman,
In the draft Estimates for the new financial year, the two policy areas under Security Bureau’s responsibility will account for $46.2 billion, representing 8.3% of the total government expenditure.
Enhancing Hong Kong's Counter-Terrorism Capability and Preparedness
Starting from 2018-19, the Government will provide an additional allocation amounting to a full-year provision of $265 million for enhancing Hong Kong's counter-terrorism (CT) capability and preparedness, which include setting up an Inter-Departmental Counter-terrorism Unit (ICTU) and strengthening respective departments' efforts in this aspect.
The Security Bureau will establish the ICTU on April 23. It will comprise 43 officers from the six Disciplined Services under the Security Bureau, providing an inter-departmental CT platform on top of the existing CT framework. ICTU will be dedicated to monitoring the global terrorism trend and CT measures, strengthening intelligence gathering and exchange, reviewing and improving CT strategies in Hong Kong, developing specialised training on CT, optimising various emergency response plans, etc.
Effective CT efforts require a comprehensive CT enforcement network webbed by different posts, which do not only involve specialised teams but also cover multi-faceted law enforcement of the disciplined services. To this end, more than 400 headcounts will be created in various disciplined services to strengthen the work on CT and multi-faceted law enforcement capabilities, including strengthening manpower of the Special Duties Unit, increasing the capability on intelligence gathering on CT, terrorist financing and money-laundering, setting up a response team under the Police Railway District, strengthening the monitoring and guarding of suspected persons at control points, enhancing the gatekeeping of airfreight and postal articles by monitoring and intercepting items such as weapons, reinforcing public education on self-rescue and self-protection in emergency and unexpected situations (including terrorist attacks and major disasters), increasing the capability to support drills and CT training.
Law and Order
The major operational targets of the Hong Kong Police Force for 2018 are to combat violent crimes, triads, syndicated and organised crimes, dangerous drugs and "quick-cash" crimes, to promote cyber security and combat technology crimes, and to ensure public safety and step up counter-terrorism work.
A total of 1 057 additional posts will be created in the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) in 2018-19. These new posts are for strengthening Hong Kong's CT capability and preparedness, enhancing the capability of emergency response and handling major incidents, providing manpower support to projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB), Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) West Kowloon Terminal, Liantang/Heung Yuen Wai (LT/HYW) Boundary Control Point, etc.
Control Points
Three new control points are expected to come into operation in 2018-19, namely XRL, HZMB and LT/HYW. To this end, new posts, including 1 058 posts in the Immigration Department (ImmD), 976 posts in the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED), 303 posts in HKPF and 39 posts in the Fire Services Department (FSD) will be created.
Handling Non-refoulement Claims
Since the commencement of the comprehensive review of the strategy of handling non-refoulement claims in early 2016, various measures have yielded some results. Last year, the number of non-ethnic Chinese illegal immigrants (NECIIs) found dropped by 85% over the peak. The number of non-refoulement claims also dropped by 63% as compared to the peak.
At present, the number of claims pending ImmD's screening has dropped to about 4 300 from the peak of over 11 000. The Government will continue with various measures, and will ensure that sufficient resources are available to handle these claims promptly and to speed up the removal of the rejected claimants from Hong Kong.
Separately, we are actively studying the amendment of the Immigration Ordinance, such as specifying the screening procedures, tightening timeframes, prohibiting delay tactics and strengthening ImmD’s detention power. Our target is to introduce the Amendment Bill into the Legislative Council in the next legislative year.
Territory-wide identity card replacement exercise
ImmD will launch the territory-wide identity card replacement exercise from end-2018 to 2022. ImmD will recruit 956 additional staff members, including 353 time-limited civil service posts and 603 contract staff members for the project, involving an expenditure of $250 million in 2018-19.
Fire and Ambulance Services
FSD will have an increase of 383 posts in the new financial year, including staff for the fire, control and ambulance streams as well as civilian and technical staff. Their scope of duties includes stepping up public education to raise the public’s resilience in case of emergencies, providing fire and ambulance services at the new boundary control points, operating ambulance shifts, conducting inspections and acceptance tests of fire service installations and equipment, and approving building plans for major infrastructure projects, etc.
Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme
In addition, the Government will, in collaboration with the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), devote $2 billion to launch the Fire Safety Improvement Works Subsidy Scheme for subsidising owners of old composite buildings to comply with the requirements under the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance (Cap 572) as soon as possible. The amount of subsidy can be up to a maximum of 60% of the costs of the fire safety improvement works and consultancy fees.
The Scheme will be rolled out in mid-2018. The URA, together with FSD and Buildings Department, has held ten briefing sessions to encourage the owners to start the preparatory work as soon as possible.
Custody and Rehabilitation
The Correctional Services Department (CSD) will continue to improve ageing correctional facilities, including installing electric locks systems in Stanley Prison and Tai Lam Centre for Women, and replacing and enhancing the closed-circuit television systems in seven correctional facilities including Stanley Prison and Pik Uk Prison, etc.
CSD will continue to provide diversified vocational training to persons in custody having regard to the overall situation and demand of the employment market. For example, new courses on timber flooring of interior renovation and computer-aided renovation drawings will be introduced.
Chairman, the representatives from Departments and I are pleased to answer questions from Members on the Appropriation Bill relating to the policy area of Security.
Thank you, Chairman.
Ends/Friday, April 20, 2018
Issued at HKT 13:38
Issued at HKT 13:38
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