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.
Health Inspectors are responsible for various duties concerning environmental hygiene and food safety, such as handling 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, regulation of private columbaria, 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 who 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 an important part of our work. They are designed to enhance individual and organisational performance in providing quality service for the public. The programmes provide leadership development opportunities, support departmental initiatives and bring out the best of staff for serving the public professionally. Programmes that heighten staff's awareness of occupational safety and health are also provided.
In addition to in-house trainers, experts in various fields were invited to conduct training to enable staff to keep abreast of the latest development in the relevant fields. While the majority of training programmes were held locally, staff members would also be nominated to attend overseas programmes. However, due to the epidemic, all the training programmes were held locally in 2021.
During the year, the Department organised 609 classes, which were attended by 11,393 trainees, adding up to a total of 36,329 trainee-days. These included induction training programmes for a total of 549 new recruits to equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to discharge their duties. In addition, the Department approved 14 applications for sponsorship for staff members to pursue employment-related studies outside office hours.
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 consultancy services are provided to assist the Department in implementing the recommendations of studies, and technical advice is offered to help the Department conduct statistical surveys and analyse data. During the year, four consultancy studies/ projects and one statistical survey were completed.
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 2021, the Department spent $9,764 million, including $4,313 million on salaries and allowances and personnel related expenses, $5,247 million on departmental expenses and other charges, and $204 million on capital and non-recurrent expenditure.
By activities, the majority of the expenditure ($5,133 million) was on environmental hygiene. This was followed by $2,187 million on market management and hawker control, $1,449 million on food safety and public health, $483 million on administration and development, $444 million on monitoring the food trade, and $68 million on public education and community involvement.
During the year, the Department received a revenue of $454 million. Most of the revenue came from cemeteries and crematoria services ($142 million) and the rental of stalls in public markets managed by the Department ($111 million). Other sources included revenue from court fines and statutory penalties ($105 million), slaughterhouse and other concessions ($52 million), licence and permit fees ($17 million), recovery of losses ($12 million) and miscellaneous services ($15 million).
Capital Works
For the five years from 2022-23 to 2026-27, the funding earmarked for capital works for food and environmental hygiene services is estimated at $3,894 million, and will be spent on various types of works project.
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 Shanghai Street Temporary RCP at Hau Cheung Street and re-development of the Interim RCP into a permanent RCP at Hip Wo Street were completed in 2021.
Public Toilets
As promulgated in the 2019-20 Budget, the Government has allocated about $600 million to carry out refurbishment or facelifting works for about 240 public toilets of the Department in phases from 2019-20 to 2023-24. The projects will improve toilet facilities and enhance their cleanliness and hygiene condition. During the year, 57 public toilets were refurbished/ facelifted, including six public toilets at major tourist spots. Another 137 are in progress or being planned.
Public Markets and Cooked Food Centres
The Government is pursuing six new public market projects, which are at different stages of planning, in Tin Shui Wai, Tung Chung Town Centre, Tseung Kwan O, Tung Chung New Town Extension, Kwu Tung North New Development Area (NDA), and Hung Shui Kiu/ Ha Tsuen NDA to provide more choices to the public in purchasing fresh provisions. Besides, the Government is setting up a temporary market at Fu Tung Street near Tung Chung MTR Station, which is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2022.
Apart from the development of new public markets, the Department is pressing ahead with the overhaul of Aberdeen Market, which is the first project of the Market Modernisation Programme (MMP). The overhaul works officially commenced in November 2021 and the market is expected to reopen in early 2023. The Department is also carrying out preparatory and consultation work for the proposed overhaul or redevelopment of Yeung Uk Road Market, Ngau Tau Kok Market and Kowloon City Market. In addition, the Department completed minor refurbishment or improvement works in nine markets under the MMP in 2021. The work or preparation for two other markets are underway.
Besides, the Government has been taking forward measures to improve the operating environment of public markets, including replacement of aged lifts and escalators, improvement of ventilation, lighting systems and fire service equipment, refurbishment of external walls and toilets, etc. as appropriate. We have earmarked $534 million to replace, in phases, 67 lifts and 155 escalators in 37 public markets.
Cemeteries, Crematoria and Columbaria
The Government has been exploring all feasible measures to increase the supply of public columbarium facilities. These include promoting the district-based columbarium development scheme and providing additional niches in existing cemeteries and columbaria. Among the potential sites identified for columbaria development, the Department has secured support from relevant District Councils for 14 projects involving about 600,000 niches i.e. about two-thirds of the total number of new niches under planning. The Government will expedite the development of public columbaria on these shortlisted sites to meet the increasing demand.
Construction works for 25,000 niches at Cape Collinson Road and 40,000 niches at Shek Mun are underway, and are expected to be completed in end 2022 and mid 2024 respectively.
To meet the demand for cremation services, construction of two additional body cremators and an additional service hall in the Wo Hop Shek Crematorium are expected to be completed in April 2022 and the third quarter of 2022 respectively.
Outsourcing of Services
The outsourcing policy aims at greater cost-effectiveness and flexibility in the delivery of services. By end 2021, 173 contracts valued at about $11,480 million were in force for the provision of services by private contractors. The breakdown is as follows.
| Type of outsourcing services | Number of contracts | Contract value ($) | Outsourced contract value by type of service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Street cleansing (including public toilet cleansing) | 38 | 6,437.5 million | 56.08% |
| Waste collection | 16 | 1,204 million | 10.49% |
| Market/Hawker bazaar cleansing | 7 | 285 million | 2.48% |
| Market management and related services | 15 | 668.3 million | 5.82% |
| Municipal services building cleansing | 9 | 75.9 million | 0.66% |
| Security guard | 22 | 326.2 million | 2.84% |
| Pest control | 25 | 1,395.1 million | 12.15% |
| Other services | 41 | 1,088.1 million | 9.48% |
Examples of outsourcing services include: street cleansing, waste collection, market/ hawker bazaar cleansing, market management and related services, municipal services building cleansing, security guard, pest control, mechanical street sweeping, mechanical street washing, mechanical gully cleansing, animal carcass collection, cleansing and horticultural maintenance services for cemeteries and columbaria, tree risk assessment and arboricultural services, etc.
Measurable performance standards are written into contracts to ensure the quality of services provided. Labour protection and occupational safety clauses have also been included in contracts to safeguard the rights and promote the well-being of non-skilled workers. In addition to daily checking on the relevant records, surprise site inspections are conducted to ensure compliance with contract requirements by contractors at all times.
Complaints Management
The Complaints Management Section is responsible for formulating and reviewing policies on, and procedures for, handling all types of complaints. In 2021, the Department received 247,774 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 mechanical cleansing 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 conducts thematic inspections to recommend good performers for Quality Assurance Awards and Certificates of Meritorious Performance to give recognition to outstanding and hardworking frontline staff. In addition, the section investigates staff-related cases of dereliction of duty and employment-related complaints concerning non-skilled workers 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, improving environmental hygiene and promoting green burial as a more sustainable form of disposal of cremated human ashes. 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, other non-governmental organisations and the public. Talks and outreaching activities are also conducted regularly. To sustain the appeal to the public and attract more visitors, the Centre enhances its facilities and revamps its exhibition panels from time to time. In 2021, the Centre revamped the exhibition about pest control and the Keep Hong Kong Clean character models. During the year, the Centre attracted 32,512 visitors, and organised 171 talks-cum-activities for kindergartens, primary schools and secondary schools and 621 talks for the general public. The Mobile Education Centre (a publicity vehicle) also conducted visits to schools and housing estates as part of the Department's outreaching efforts in promoting health education. Amid the pandemic when the services of the Centre were suspended, two healthy living handbooks were distributed to students of kindergartens and primary schools respectively to encourage them to cultivate good hygiene habits at the early stage. Besides, relevant videos and information were distributed to elderly centres and homes to upkeep the elders' awareness of food safety and personal hygiene.
In 2021, the Department continued its publicity on environmental hygiene, food safety and green burial through Television and Radio Announcements in the Public Interest, social media such as Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, mobile applications, banners, posters, pamphlets and leaflets, as appropriate. Through the dedicated Facebook page and the Instagram page of Keep Clean Ambassador Ah Tak as well as Ah Tak's presence at public functions, the Department disseminated various information on personal, household and environmental hygiene to the public and appealed for their co-operation and support in keeping Hong Kong clean. Anti-rodent and anti-mosquito campaigns were organised to solicit public support and participation in pest control.