‘Massive’ plan for Hong Kong government restructuring will need buy-in from incoming leader John Lee, who is expected to respond next week, Carrie Lam says
- Incumbent chief executive says she hopes go-ahead from her successor will give officials enough time to fight for Legco support
- Outgoing and incoming leaders met on Monday to discuss proposal, among other measures
Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor has said a “massive” plan to restructure the government will need the buy-in from her successor, with Chief Executive-elect John Lee Ka-chiu expected to respond to the proposal by next week.
The shake-up will involve reforming the current 13 bureaus into 15 bodies, according to Lam, who was speaking on Tuesday before the weekly meeting of her de facto cabinet, the Executive Council.
But approval was needed first from Exco and incoming leader Lee before the plan could be presented to the Legislative Council, she added.
“We will have to wait until [Lee] agrees so that the current government can go and fight for Legco support,” she added, noting her administration had already provided Lee with all the information needed.
The restructuring floated by Lam in January involves adding a policy bureau centred on culture, sports and tourism. The Transport and Housing Bureau will be split to focus on the two respective policy areas, while the Home Affairs Bureau will be renamed as the home affairs and youth bureau, subject to the view of the incoming chief executive.