The Administration and Development Branch provides various management and support services to the Department.
Grade Management
There are three major grades covering Health Inspectors, Hawker Control Officers and Foremen. Two grade managers, one for the Health Inspector grade and another for the Hawker Control Officer and Foreman grades, are responsible for staff matters involving manpower planning, career development, postings, promotion and training.
Health Inspectors are responsible for various environmental hygiene and food safety functions, such as handling of environmental nuisance cases, hygiene inspections to food establishments, licensing, prosecution, meat inspection, cleansing services, outsourcing, pest control, hawker control, management of markets, cemeteries and crematoria, food control and health education.
Hawker Control Officers are responsible for controlling on-street hawking activities, managing hawker permitted places and taking law enforcement action against illegal hawking activities. They also play an important part in prosecuting people alleged to have committed cleanliness offences, such as littering and spitting.
Foremen are mainly responsible for supervising the work of frontline staff in street cleansing, waste collection, pest control, cemeteries and crematoria and market management. They are also responsible for transport services and monitoring the performance of the Department's service contractors. Members of the grade also take legal action against cleanliness offenders.
Training
Training and development programmes are provided to enhance the overall competence and professionalism of staff, supporting departmental initiatives, bringing out their best to serve the public, heightening their awareness of occupational safety and health, and promoting a high standard of probity in the Department. Training programmes mainly take the form of vocational, management, information technologies, occupational safety and communication courses. While the majority of training programmes were held locally, staff members would also be nominated to attend overseas programmes.
During the year, the Department organised 872 classes, which were attended by 10,544 trainees, adding up to a total of 30,835 trainee-days. These included induction training programmes for a total of 269 new recruits to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to discharge their duties. In addition, the Department provided sponsorship to 19 staff members to pursue employment-related studies outside office hours, and 54 officers were placed in 33 training programmes outside Hong Kong, involving a total of 339 trainee-days.
Management Services
The Management Services, Survey and Statistics Section mainly provides management consultancy and statistical services to the Department. They help the management improve the delivery of public services, monitor the standard of performance and formulate policy in the provision of services and staffing. Ongoing consultancies are provided to assist the Department in the implementation of recommendations of studies and technical advice is offered to help the Department conduct statistical surveys and analyse data.
Five management studies were completed during the year. In addition, a number of statistical surveys were conducted on issues such as the impact of the Nutrition Labelling Scheme and public opinion on the Department's health education publications.
Financial Management
All matters relating to expenditure and procurement, including payment processing, financial advice and monitoring, are handled by the Finance and Supplies Division.
In 2012, the Department spent $4,968 million, including $2,681 million on salaries and allowances and personnel related expenses, $2,220 million on departmental expenses and other charges, and $67 million on capital and non-recurrent expenditure.
By activities, the majority of the expenditure ($2,258 million) was on environmental hygiene. This was followed by $1,361 million on market management and hawker control, $788 million on food safety and public health, $310 million on administration and development, $229 million on monitoring the food trade, and $22 million on public education and community involvement.
During the year, the Department received a revenue of $933 million. Most of the revenue came from the rental of stalls in public markets managed by the Department ($410 million) and from licence and permit fees ($273 million). Other sources included revenue from cemeteries and crematoria services ($72 million), court fines and statutory penalties ($55 million), slaughterhouse and other concessions ($71 million), meat examination ($22 million) and miscellaneous services ($30 million).
Capital Works
In the Government's 2012 Capital Works Resource Allocation Exercise, the five-year allocation on capital projects for food and environmental hygiene services is estimated at $1,842 million to meet expenditure on projects of the department.
Markets
During the year, improvement works to Sham Tseng Temporary Market and Hung Shui Kiu Temporary Market were in progress. The upgrading works for fire services installation at On Ching Road Flower Market have started in November 2011 for completion in early 2013.
Refuse Collection Points
As part of the continuing efforts to improve Hong Kong's living environment, the Department is replacing temporary roadside refuse collection points (RCPs) with off-street facilities in enclosed buildings equipped with modern de-odourising installations. Reprovisioning of Paterson Street RCP was completed in June 2012. Reprovisioning of Tsuen Wan Transport Complex RCP under the West Rail Tsuen Wan West Station Development is under planning for completion by end of 2013.
Public Toilets
Under the Public Toilet Refurbishment/Improvement Programme, six projects were completed in 2012 and another 89 are in progress or being planned.
The phased programme to convert identified aqua privies into flushing toilets by 2013 continued in 2012. All of the 90 aqua privies included in the sixth phase of the conversion programme for which works commenced in November 2009 were already converted into flushing toilets, one of which was completed in the year. Of the 145 aqua privies included in the final phase for which works commenced in February 2011 for completion by December 2013, 42 were already converted into flushing toilets, 39 of which were completed in the year. Works for the remaining 103 aqua privies in the final phase are either in progress or under planning, except some 20 aqua privies that have been/will be in-situ refurbished or demolished for various reasons including project/site constraints, failure to obtain local support, local request for demolition, and being located in remote location/of low usage rate, etc.
Cemeteries and Crematoria
Reprovisioning of Wo Hop Shek Crematorium commenced in July 2009 and will be completed in early 2013 while that of Cape Collinson Crematorium began in June 2010 for completion at the end of 2015. The new Garden of Remembrance at Diamond Hill Crematorium was opened to the public in July 2012. The construction of a new columbarium and a Garden of Remembrance at Kiu Tau Road in Wo Hop Shek was completed in mid-2012.
The Government is contemplating all feasible measures to increase the supply of public columbarium facilities. These include promoting district-based columbarium development scheme and providing additional niches in existing cemeteries. A total of 24 potential sites in 18 districts have been identified for consideration of columbarium development. The Department will take forward further planning actions for sites found suitable for the purpose. Development in one of the sites, which involves the addition of 1,540 niches in Yeung Nim Hall, Diamond Hill Columbarium in Wong Tai Sin was completed in April 2012. Development in another site which involves the addition of 1,000 niches in the Cheung Chau Cemetery, will commence in the second quarter of 2013 for completion in the fourth quarter of 2013.
Outsourcing of Services
Grand Total: 128 contracts with a total value of $3,475 million
By end 2012, 128 contracts valued at $3,475 million were in force for the provision of services by private contractors. The outsourcing policy is aimed at greater cost-effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of services.
Examples of outsourcing services include: street cleansing, waste collection, mechanical street sweeping, mechanical gully cleansing, collection of recyclables, market/hawker bazaar cleansing, market management and related services, pest control services, municipal services building cleansing, security guard services, animal carcass collection, cleansing and horticultural maintenance services for cemeteries and columbaria, etc.
Measurable performance standards are written into contracts to ensure the quality of services provided. Protective clauses have also been included in tenders to safeguard the rights and benefits of non-skilled workers. In addition to daily checking, supervisory checks are conducted to ensure compliance by contractors.
Complaints Management
The Complaints Management Section is responsible for formulating and reviewing policies on, and procedures for, handling all types of complaints. In 2012, the Department received 196,750 cases of service request and complaint from the public.
Quality Assurance
Continuous improvement is one of the priority tasks of the Department to ensure provision of quality services to the public.
The primary objective of the Quality Assurance Section is to monitor and improve service quality. To achieve this objective, the section conducts day-to-day regulatory inspections on services provided by the Department and service contractors. Recommendations are made for improvements to services with identified inadequacies in existing operational systems, procedures and guidelines. The section also recommends good performers for Quality Assurance Awards and Certificates of Meritorious Performance to motivate outstanding and hardworking frontline staff. In addition, the section investigates staff-related cases of dereliction of duty and employment-related complaints of service contractors in an independent, objective and fair manner. The section also conducts audit inspections and employment-related inspections to check service contractors' compliance with employment-related commitments.
Public Education and Publicity
Public education plays an important role in ensuring food safety and improving environmental hygiene. To this end, the Department organises publicity and educational programmes including talks, exhibitions and outreaching programmes to enhance the general public's awareness of these issues.
The Department operates a Health Education Exhibition and Resource Centre (the Centre) inside Kowloon Park to serve the public. It arranges group visits and guided tours for schools, elderly centres, children and youth centres, organisations for the disabled and the public. Talks and outreaching activities are also conducted regularly. During the year, the Centre attracted 137,774 visitors, and organised 1,074 talks-cum-activities for kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools, 990 talks for elderly centres and 303 talks for the general public. The Mobile Education Centre (a publicity vehicle) of the Centre also conducted 220 visits to schools, housing estates and public parks as part of the outreaching efforts in promoting health education. The mini theatre of the Centre was revamped to provide a large display screen and a touch panel for selection of different health education videos by the public.
To meet the targeted risk communication needs on food safety, there is also a dedicated Communication Resource Unit (CRU) under the Centre for Food Safety to serve the public and the food trade. Located at the Fa Yuen Street Municipal Services Building, the CRU maintains a rich collection of food safety related promotion resource materials, ranging from Five Keys to Food Safety, the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) system, risk perception, and other food safety initiatives and new regulations. It has designated exhibition areas and information corners equipped with audio-visual facilities. The CRU also entertains requests for organised visits and food safety talks, and provides loan service of resource materials, exhibition boards and audio-visual resources for schools, community centres and other interested public. Apart from supporting initiatives and events on food safety risk communication, the CRU conducts regular education programmes throughout the year. In 2012, the CRU conducted 314 seminars, workshops and various types of publicity activities including roving exhibitions on food safety to the public and selected target groups, including food handlers, school children, the elderly and ethnic minorities.
During the year, the Department continued its publicity on disseminating environmental hygiene messages through television and radio Announcements in the Public Interest, banners, posters, pamphlets and leaflets. Anti-rodent and anti-mosquito campaigns were organised to solicit public support and participation in pest control. Support was also given to cleansing campaign/work by non-government organisations.