CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
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during his absence. He is the Senior Official Member of the Executive and Legislative Councils and Chairman of the Finance Committee.
Role of the Financial Secretary
The Financial Secretary is responsible for the fiscal and economic policies of the Hong Kong Government, and is an Official Member of both the Executive and Legislative Councils. He is, in addition, a Member of the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council and Chairman of the Public Works Sub-Committee of the Finance Committee. As the government officer with primary-responsibility for Hong Kong's fiscal and economic policies, the Financial Secretary oversees the operations of the Finance, Monetary Affairs, Trade and Industry, Works and Economic Services Branches of the Government Secretariat.
The Financial Secretary is responsible under the Public Finance Ordinance for laying before the legislature each year the government's Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure. In his capacity as an Official Member of the Legislative Council, he delivers a major speech each year, outlining the government's budgetary proposals and moving the adoption of the Appropriation Bill, which gives legal effect to the annual expenditure proposals contained in the Budget. He is also personally responsible under a number of ordinances for carrying out executive duties, such as setting levels of certain charges and remunerations, and overseeing the accounts of certain trust funds and statutory bodies.
Role of the Central Policy Unit
The Central Policy Unit (CPU) was established in April 1989. Although the CPU forms part of the Government Secretariat it is not a policy branch with responsibility for a defined programme area of its own. Its role is to undertake in-depth examinations of complex policy issues, to analyse options, and to recommend solutions. These issues are assigned to it by the Governor, Chief Secretary and Financial Secretary and are specified on a case-by-case basis. They are mostly issues of a long-term, strategic nature, or issues which cut across, or fall between, the boundaries of several policy branches of government departments. The CPU is not involved in the day-to-day development of policy nor its implementation.
The Structure of the Administration
The Administration of the Hong Kong Government is organised into branches and departments. The branches, each headed by a secretary, collectively form the Government Secretariat. The structure of the Government Secretariat was re-organised in 1989 in order to rationalise and redistribute the portfolios of policy secretaries, the object being to achieve a reasonable balance between their workloads, reflect more closely the main policy objectives of the government and to improve the policy formulation and resource management generally. There are currently 12 policy branches, and two resource branches concerned with finance and the Public Service.
The policy branches whose secretaries report directly to the Chief Secretary are: City and New Territories Administration (headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs); Constitutional Affairs (which has merged with the former General Duties Branch); Education and Manpower; Health and Welfare; Planning, Environmental and Lands; Recreation and Culture; Security, and Transport. The Civil Service Branch, a resource