CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION
branch, also comes under the aegis of the Chief Secretary. The policy branches whose secretaries report directly to the Financial Secretary are: Economic Services, Monetary Affairs, Trade and Industry, and Works. The Finance Branch, a resource branch, is also responsible to the Financial Secretary. The head of the Finance Branch is the Secretary for the Treasury (previously known as the Deputy Financial Secretary).
With certain exceptions, the heads of government departments are responsible to the branch secretaries for the direction of their departments and the efficient implementation of approved government policy. The exceptions are such bodies as the Audit Department and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, whose independence is safeguarded by their director and commissioner, respectively, reporting directly to the Governor; the Judiciary, which is the responsibility of the Chief Justice, and the Legal Department, which is the responsibility of the Attorney General. There are currently 63 departments and agencies in this structure.
To assist in the co-ordination of government policy, there have been established, under the umbrella of the Chief Secretary's Committee, eight policy groups which bring together branch secretaries in related programme areas. The six which are chaired by the Chief Secretary are Community Affairs; Constitutional Affairs; Lands, Works, Transport, Hous- ing and Environmental Protection; Public Services; Social Services, and Public Relations. The Finance group is chaired by the Financial Secretary and the Legal Policy group by the Attorney General.
Office of the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints
The Commissioner for Administrative Complaints is an independent authority establish- ed under the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints Ordinance to provide, for ordinary citizens, some means whereby an independent person outside the public service can investigate, and report on, grievances arising from administrative decisions, acts, recommendations or omissions. The commissioner has jurisdiction over all government departments except the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and the Independent Commission Against Corruption. However, he is an ex-officio member of both the Police Complaints Committee and the Independent Commission Against Corruption Complaints Committee, which oversee investigations into complaints made against members of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force and the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
The establishment of the commissioner is designed to supplement and strengthen existing channels for the redress of grievances, but not to replace them.
The commissioner's office came into operation in March 1989. As required by law, the commissioner has to make a general report to the Governor on the exercise of his functions under the Commissioner for Administrative Complaints Ordinance not later than the last day of June in each year. His second report was tabled in the Legislative Council on July 25, 1990, and received considerable media coverage.
In September 1990, a staffing review of the office was carried out to determine both the method of filling the posts and the staffing levels in the longer term. The review concluded that the practice of filling the majority of posts by secondment from the civil service should continue and that there should be some adjustments to the establishment of the two sections within the office, namely, the Screening and Investigation Section and the Admin- istration Section. Action was taken in 1990 to implement the recommendations that the review had put forward.
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