ENG-2007 — Page 407

Communications, the Media and Information Technology | 343

On the cultural front, the office participated in five film festivals in Australia and New Zealand at which it showed a selection of Hong Kong films. The festivals were: the Sydney Film Festival, the Melbourne International Film Festival, the Brisbane International Film Festival, the Adelaide Film Festival and the New Zealand International Film Festival held in Auckland in which Hong Kong took part for the first time.

Government Home Pages on the Internet

Among other measures for ensuring openness, transparency and accountability, the Government uses the Internet to disseminate information on its policies, services and activities and to communicate with the public. All bureaux and departments produce their home pages in Chinese and English. Thematic home pages are also produced for special events and topics. These home pages can be accessed through the GovHK at www.gov.hk.

The GovHK also provides 24-hour news updates, consultation papers and topical information to enable the public to keep track of local developments and important announcements. It is also a portal to a wide range of electronic services of various departments and agencies, including the submission of tax returns, appointment booking service for the Hong Kong Smart Identity Card replacement exercise, payment of government fees and the purchase of government publications.

Code on Access to Information

The HKSAR believes in an open and accountable government. To ensure reasonable access to government information, an administrative Code on Access to Information applies to all government bureaux and departments, which are committed to making information available to the public.

The code provides for a set of rules to meet public expectation of greater government transparency. It sets out the types of government information to which the public has access and lists categories of exemptions to ensure appropriate protection of confidential and sensitive information held by the Government and information involving privacy and commercial sensitivity. The public may complain to The Ombudsman about government bureaux and departments that fail to respond to requests for information in accordance with the code.

Information Technology

Digital 21 Strategy

The Government is committed to keeping Hong Kong at the forefront of information and communications technology (ICT) development. The Digital 21 Strategy, first instituted in 1998 and updated in 2001, 2004, and most recently in 2007, is the blueprint for ICT development in Hong Kong. Since the launch of the strategy, good progress has been made in bringing about the right environment, infrastructure, skills and culture to encourage the development and adoption of ICT by the whole community.