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of various departments and agencies, including the submission of tax returns, payment of government fees and the purchase of government publications.

Code on Access to Government Information

As an open and accountable Government, all government bureaux and departments are committed to making information available to the public in accordance with the Code on Access to Information. The code specifies the types of government information the public may have access to. Disclosure may be refused on grounds of the confidential and sensitive nature of the information to ensure appropriate protection of such information. The public may complain to The Ombudsman if government bureaux and departments do not 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 the development of information and communications technology (ICT) and to make it a leading digital city. To achieve this aim, in 1998 the Government formulated Digital 21 Strategy, a plan which is updated continually to cope with technological advancements and the community's changing needs. This has produced the right environment, infrastructure, skills and culture for developing and adopting ICT. This is evident in Hong Kong's mobile phone penetration rate of 162.3 per cent, one of the highest in the world; its household broadband connection rate of 77.7 per cent, the second highest in Asia; and its Smart ID card, one of the first to be invented in the world.

The latest 2008 Digital 21 Strategy was introduced in December 2007 with the motto: 'advancing our achievements and seizing new opportunities: building on Hong Kong's position as a world digital city'. The strategy follows a 'Statements of Desired Outcomes' drawn up to make Hong Kong a vibrant digital economy, a centre for advanced technology and innovation as well as a hub for technological co-operation. Maintaining Hong Kong's position as a leader in the use of e-government and as a knowledge-based society is another of its aims.

Hong Kong as a Leading Digital Economy

Driving E-business

The Government is committed to providing the infrastructure to facilitate a digital economy. The Electronic Transactions Ordinance was enacted in 2000 and updated in 2004 to provide a legal framework for the conduct of secure electronic transactions.

There are now two certification authorities recognised under the ordinance, which issue digital certificates for people to conduct electronic transactions in a

secure manner.