LCQ5: Enhancing interconnectivity and interoperability of government information
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Question:
There are views reflecting that the information provision services on government websites currently do not effectively guide users to swiftly access the information they need; some information provision services only direct users to the relevant homepages of other government websites instead of the specific content pages, resulting in users having to spend a considerable amount of time searching and piecing together the required information from different government websites. In this connection, will the government inform this Council:
(1) of the percentage of links on government websites that currently direct users to specific content pages; whether there are plans to review the approach to setting up hyperlinks on government websites at present;
(2) as it is learnt that members of the public currently handling a matter involving multiple government departments often need to repeatedly search for and piece together information across different government websites, whether the authorities have plans to set up dedicated navigation pages on existing government websites for common cross-departmental matters, consolidating and listing out the eligibility criteria, processes and links to forms of the relevant government departments; and
(3) whether there are plans to deploy conversational artificial intelligence integrated engines on government websites to help users locate the information they need more precisely and comprehensively; if so, of the details and timetable; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Government has always adhered to the people-oriented principle, actively deploying technology to enhance the quality and efficiency of public services. In establishing and maintaining Government websites, all government departments are required to comply with relevant guidelines and standards.
Regarding the question raised by Professor the Hon Lau Chi-pang, our consolidated reply is as follows:
(1) According to the Guidelines on Dissemination of Information through Government Websites (the Guidelines) issued by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), Government websites should present information to the public in a clear and convenient manner, including categorising content by theme; making effective use of hyperlinks by placing core information on the homepage and details on sub-pages so that the public can click through directly to relevant information; compiling frequently asked questions to facilitate self-service searches by the public; and ensuring that web content is accurate and updated regularly.
For example, the "GovHK" website (www.gov.hk), which is managed by the Digital Policy Office (DPO), generally enables users to access the specific pages of relevant departments' websites directly through hyperlinks. For other government websites, they are managed by individual departments. Since departmental websites are updated from time to time, some old webpages, archived pages or cross-departmental reference links may be redirected to the homepage of the relevant website as a result of the revamp or update of the target pages. The Government does not keep relevant statistics so far. Regarding the situation raised by the Hon Member, departments are reminded through the HYAB's Guidelines to perform regular website maintenance, and also to check the hyperlinks periodically to ensure they are in effective operation.
(2) For matters involving multiple government departments, "GovHK" has, in accordance with the HYAB's Guidelines, set up dedicated navigation pages on common cross-departmental matters, by user category (namely residents, business and trade, and non-Hong Kong-residents) and by theme, bringing together information and services of the relevant departments in one place. Examples include "Employment" and "Health and Medical Services", which are commonly used by citizens; "Registration and Licences" and "Support for Local Enterprises", which are of interest to the business sector; and "Working in Hong Kong", which is relevant to non-Hong Kong-residents. In addition, the website features sessions such as "Quick Guides" (for example, "Drivers" and "Senior Citizens"), "Topics" (for example, "Marriage Registration" and "Reproductive Health"), "Top Online Services" and "Top Government Forms", which provide direct links to the relevant application pages, forms and information, thereby facilitating members of the public in obtaining relevant information and making applications.
(3) "GovHK" has launched its artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot, "Bonny", in 2019. Leveraging technologies such as natural language processing and machine learning to analyse user input, Bonny can handle enquiries in a mixture of Chinese and English (including Cantonese expressions) and assist members of the public in searching for suitable e-government services and application forms on government department websites.
In recent years, mobile devices have become an important means for members of the public to access government information and public services. As a one-stop personalised digital services platform, "iAM Smart" provides access to more than 1 400 online services and government e-Forms offered by the Government as well as public and private organisations. It has over 4.8 million registered users and records an average of more than 220 000 usages per day, thereby realising the Government's objective of a "single portal for online government services".
To provide further convenience to the public, the "iAM Smart" platform launched the AI Assistant feature in October this year, covering enquiries relating to government public services. Members of the public only need to type in their enquiries, and the AI Assistant will leverage AI technology to instantly retrieve relevant information and services from different government official websites, and a knowledge base reviewed by relevant government departments, organise the information into a clear and coherent form, and provide links to the information sources and services, making it easier for members of the public to access the relevant information. The DPO will continue to optimise the AI Assistant feature. It is expected that an enhanced version of the AI Assistant, offering personalised services, will be launched by the end of this year to further enhance the user experience.
Looking ahead, we will continue to deepen the application of AI in public services. For instance, the DPO plans to launch Chatbot-as-a-Service 2.0, equipped with a new version AI engine in 2027, use it to update "Bonny", and make it available for adoption by other departments. This service will integrate technologies such as large language models, a natural language processing engine, retrieval-augmented generation and web data extraction, to assist departments in expanding the coverage of their knowledge bases, thereby enabling them to provide more accurate and direct responses on their websites.
Ends/Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Issued at HKT 14:34
Issued at HKT 14:34
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