The Chief Secretary for Administration,commonly known as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong,is the most senior principal official of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Secretary is head of the Government Secretariat which oversees the administration of the Region to which all other ministers belong,and is accountable for his or her policies and actions to the Chief Executive and to the Legislative Council. Under Article 53 of the Basic Law,the position is known as "Administrative Secretary". As the second highest ranking public official in Hong Kong,the Chief Secretary acts as Acting Chief Executive when the Chief Executive is absent.
The Department of Justice (DoJ),is the department responsible for the laws of Hong Kong headed by the Secretary for Justice. Before 1997,the names of the department and the position was the Legal Department (律政署) and Attorney General (律政司) respectively. The Department of Justice provides legal advice to other departments in the government system,“drafts government bills,makes prosecution decisions,and promotes the rule of law”.
The Court of Appeal of the High Court of Hong Kong is the second most senior court in the Hong Kong legal system. It deals with appeals on all civil and criminal cases from the Court of First Instance and the District Court. It is one of two courts that makes up the High Court of Hong Kong. Sometimes criminal appeals from Magistrates' Courts with general public importance are also dealt with in the Court of Appeal,either by referral by a single judge from the Court of First Instance,or upon granting of leave on application for review by the Secretary for Justice.
Invest Hong Kong is the department of the Hong Kong SAR Government responsible for Foreign Direct Investment,supporting overseas businesses to set up and expand in Hong Kong. Founded on 1 July 2000,its first Director General was Michael Rowse.
The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau is a policy bureau of the Hong Kong Government. The bureau has general responsibility over local administration,with a remit covering youth affairs,family planning,women's affairs,social development,fire safety,and matters related to the district councils. One of the important roles of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau is to enhance liaison and communication with all sectors of the community including the Legislative Council and the general public. The Bureau was established on 1 July 1997 as the Home Affairs Bureau,succeeding the Home Affairs Branch of the colonial government secretariat. It was reorganized at the beginning of the Lee government in 2022 as the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau,with some of its functions transferred to the new Culture,Sports and Tourism Bureau. It has its headquarters in the West Wing of the Central Government Complex in Tamar.
The Law Society of Hong Kong is the professional association and law society for solicitors in Hong Kong,established in 1907. The Law Society of Hong Kong is responsible for the classification and qualification of lawyers in Hong Kong. According to Hong Kong law,all Hong Kong solicitors must be members of this association.
The Antiquities Advisory Board (AAB) is a statutory body of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region with the responsibility of advising the Antiquities Authority on any matters relating to antiquities and monuments. The AAB was established in 1976 along with the Antiquities and Monuments Office (AMO) when the Antiquities and Monuments Ordinance (Cap. 53) was enacted,and comprises members appointed by the Chief Executive. The corresponding governmental ministry is the Development Bureau,and executive support for the AAB is provided by the AMO which is under the Development Bureau.
Paul Chan Mo-po is the Financial Secretary of Hong Kong and former Secretary for Development of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. He was a member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong.
The Minimum Wage OrdinanceCap. 608 is an ordinance enacted by the Legislative Council of Hong Kong to introduce a minimum wage in Hong Kong in July 2010. The executive branch proposed a minimum wage of HK$28 (~US$3.61) per hour in November 2010,which the Legislative Council voted to accept after much debate in January 2011. It came into effect on 1 May 2011. Prior to this,there had also been a fixed minimum wage for one specific class of workers,foreign domestic helpers,of HK$3,740/month. The Hong Kong statutory minimum wage for non-domestic workers is HK$37.5 (~US$4.83) per hour,effective 1 May 2019.
The University of Hong Kong Faculty of Law is one of the 11 faculties and schools at the University of Hong Kong. Founded in 1969 as the Department of Law,it is the oldest law school in Hong Kong. HKU Law is consistently ranked among the top law schools in the world. In 2019,HKU Law was ranked 18th on the QS World Rankings and 22nd on the Times Higher Education World Rankings.
The Solicitor General of Hong Kong is head of the Legal Policy Division of the Department of Justice (律政司) in Hong Kong. He is responsible for the development of legal policy,advising the Secretary for Justice on legal issues,and overseeing the department's staff and legislative programme.
Public interest law in Hong Kong is an emerging field. The chief vehicle for pursuing public interest claims is judicial review. This is the process by which decisions of the government are challenged in the courts. There has been a surge in judicial review cases since 2000. Environmental issues and minority rights are among the most litigated areas.
Legal drug abuse is the action of using drugs that are allowed by the government or not controlled by means of prescription to alter one’s consciousness and emotions. The Hong Kong government has tolerate policy against legal drug use. Drugs such as cannabis and ecstasy,which can be considered recreational drugs in other countries are all legal in Hong Kong.
The Chief Judge of the High Court of Hong Kong (CJHC) is the head of the High Court of Hong Kong and the President of the Court of Appeal of Hong Kong. In the Hong Kong order of precedence,the Chief Judge is the second most senior administrative judge for the courts system,second only to the Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong. The position of Chief Judge is the broad equivalent of the Master of the Rolls in the courts system of England and Wales.
The Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission is a statutory body in Hong Kong responsible for advising and making recommendations to the Chief Executive on judicial appointments and related matters established after the Handover in accordance with the Judicial Officers Recommendation Commission Ordinance. According to Article 88 of the Basic Law,the Chief Executive shall appoint judges on the recommendation of the Commission,suggesting that he or she is not empowered to make appointments on his or her own accord.
The Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region is a national security committee established by the Government of Hong Kong under the Article 12 of the Hong Kong national security law. The committee is supervised and accountable to the Central People's Government of China.
The offices of Apple Daily,once the largest anti-China newspaper in Hong Kong,and its parent company,Next Digital,were raided and executives arrested by the Hong Kong Police Force on 10 August 2020 and again on 17 June 2021. Some of the arrested and three companies of Next Digital were charged under the Hong Kong national security law. The 26-year-old newspaper was forced to close in June 2021 following the raids and freezing of its capital.
Events in the year 2022 in Hong Kong.
Doreen Kong Yuk-foon is a Hong Kong solicitor and politician. She was elected as a member of Legislative Council for the Election Committee constituency heavily skewed the pro-Beijing camp.
Paul Lam Ting-kwok is a Hong Kong Senior Counsel who is the current Secretary for Justice.
Hong Kong Government Agency