After the Government's announcement of the proposals on improving governance at the district level on May 2, the Secretary for Constitutional and Mainland Affairs, Mr Erick Tsang Kwok-wai, and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, immediately commenced a series of explanatory and publicity work for various sectors. Following the first briefing session with Hong Kong deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC) and Hong Kong members of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) held earlier, the two Directors of Bureaux today (May 5) hosted another briefing session for another group of Hong Kong deputies to the NPC and Hong Kong members of the CPPCC, and had in-depth discussions and exchanges with them.

     At the briefing session, Mr Tsang and Miss Mak explained to Hong Kong deputies to the NPC and Hong Kong members of the CPPCC that the proposals on improving governance at the district level aim to depoliticise District Councils (DCs), revert the DCs to their original positioning, fully implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong", and ensure governance at the district level is firmly placed in the hands of patriots.

     They also highlighted five benefits of the proposals on improving governance at the district level:

(1) enhance the functions of DCs to allow the Government to have more effective planning and implementation of district services, manifest executive-led governance and better serve the public;
(2) optimise the composition of DCs and the methods of selection of DC members to allow persons with professional knowledge and experience, who are patriotic and have an affection for Hong Kong, to enter the DCs through multiple channels and serve the public;
(3) introduce an eligibility review mechanism to fully implement the principle of "patriots administering Hong Kong" and safeguard national security, and return the DCs to the livelihood-oriented positioning;
(4) introduce a monitoring mechanism of DC members' performance to ensure that every DC member delivers due diligence and meets public expectations;
(5) strengthen the district governance structure to formulate and command appropriate measures in response to the demand of the public in an effective and timely manner.

     The two Directors of Bureaux said that the proposals on improving governance at the district level are well aligned with the improvement of the electoral system in 2021. Through rearranging the composition of DCs and introducing various methods of filling the seats, qualified candidates from different walks of life, different professions and different backgrounds can participate in the work of district councils, allowing true patriots to enter the district governance system of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

     They emphasised that the proposals are a key milestone for Hong Kong to move from chaos to stability and further to prosperity, and conductive to promoting Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability as well as a better living and working environment for all.

     The attendees provided many constructive suggestions and expressed full support for the proposals. The two Directors of Bureaux encouraged them to continually brief members of the public on the proposals so as to deepen public understanding of the benefits brought by the proposals.

     The Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau will continue to brief different sectors of the community on the contents and advantages of the proposals in coming weeks.

Ends/Friday, May 5, 2023
Issued at HKT 19:15

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