TNAG-1136-FCO40-1416-Address-by-Sir-Edward-Youde--Governor-of-Hong-Kong--to-the-L-1982 — Page 11

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between them and policy branches in the Secretariat. In place of the Public Works Department, we created five autonomous departments, i.e. the Building Development Department, the New Territories Development Department, the Water Supplies Department, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Engineering Development Department (less traffic engineering, which was transferred to the Transport Department). At the same time a new Lands Department was set up, with territory-wide responsibilities for land administration, surveys, and town planning, which functions were previously split between the Crown Lands and Survey Office of the Public Works Department and the New Territories Administration.

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In place of the Trade, Industry and Customs Department, we created three separate departments, the Trade Department, the Industry Department and the Customs and Excise Department. Concurrently we established

a new policy branch, the Trade and Industry Branch, in the Secretariat and transferred responsibilities in these two areas to this new branch from the Economic Services Branch, The Trade and Industry Branch also has housekeeping responsibilities for the Customs and Excise Department, but policy responsibilities are shared between this Branch (in respect of trade controls), the Security Branch (in respect of anti-contraband activities) and the Finance Branch (in respect of revenue protection duties). Also, as part of this exercise, the directorate level staff of the former Trade, Industry and Customs Department were merged into the Administrative Service. At the same time, the Councils and Administration Branch took over responsibility for the Hong Kong Government Office in London and for the overseas trade offices in Brussels, Washington and Geneva, which consequently assumed the status of Hong Kong Government Offices.

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