The government will refine the high-level coordination mechanism for the Steering Committee on District Governance and the Task Force on District Governance to coordinate the work of various bureaux and relevant departments on all fronts, with a view to proactively and efficiently addressing district governance issues.

It will strengthen District Officers’ capabilities in discharging their duties by enhancing their coordination and execution capabilities, and bolster the district governance mechanism to enhance efficacy.

“We will deepen the collaboration of the ‘troika’ of district governance, i.e. District Councils, Care Teams, and the ‘three district committees’, and strengthen the mechanism for reaching out to residents and collecting their views to address their concerns and problems, so as to uphold the ethos of ‘actively responding to the people’s aspirations’,” he added.

The government will improve the civil service training management system to entrench the people-oriented ethos and enhance the civil service performance appraisal system and the fairness in giving out rewards and meting out punishments, said Lee.

It will expedite the digitalization and intelligentization of public administration to enhance efficacy, such as leveraging technology to enhance work efficiency of law enforcement agencies and utilizing data analytics to step up surveillance for combating abuse of public rental housing, etc.

It will also empower process integration through digital intelligence, promote wider adoption of the “digital-first” principle in government processes and expand the digital identity functions and one-stop e-services powered by “iAM Smart” and the Digital Corporate Identity Platform.

The government will explore the development of Hong Kong’s “AI City Brain” integrated city management system to connect city management data of different departments. It will realize real-time perception, risk alert, instant prediction and synergized processing in the management and operation of the city with the use of new technologies for real-time inter-departmental data sharing and smart analysis

It will enhance fire safety governance efficacy through inspections and rectifications on fire safety risks and implementation of an accountability mechanism, while improving the response strategy for tackling major fire incidents and pursuing legislative amendments to enhance the deterrent effect and enforcement effectiveness.

It will also enhance building safety governance, reform building rehabilitation strategies and enhance the support for owners, while strengthening flood control and drainage, shoreline management, and slope safety management.

Under the guidance of the holistic national security approach, the government will continue to improve Hong Kong’s top-level structure, legal system, and enforcement mechanisms to safeguard national security, said the CE.

“We will consolidate and enhance the role of the Committee for Safeguarding National Security of the HKSAR in effectively assuming its primary responsibility for safeguarding national security, and actively prevent, suppress, and impose punishment for acts and activities endangering national security, thereby further building up a solid defense for national security in Hong Kong.”

The government will resolutely ensure that laws are observed and strictly enforced to bring offenders to account, and will strengthen national security education, he added.

Pointing out that security is the prerequisite for development, whereas development reinforces security, Lee said, “While spearheading various initiatives with a reform-oriented mindset, we will enhance the risk alert mechanism, step up inter‑departmental collaboration, map out division of work and responsibilities, do away with unreasonable restrictions and cumbersome procedures, so as to induce development impetus.”

By leveraging new technologies such as AI, the government will promote the digitalization and intelligentization of public administration and will persistently take forward reforms to the civil service system, with a view to building a team of civil servants that is professional, highly efficient and with patriotic fervor and love for Hong Kong, he added.

Lee said the government will promote continuous optimization of the energy mix and progressively increase the use of zero-carbon energy to strengthen energy security and maintain the stability of electricity tariffs.

It will promote the use of green transport, thereby creating conditions for achieving the target of zero vehicular emissions before 2050, move away from reliance on landfill disposal of municipal solid waste by 2035, and enhance recycling and waste-to-energy networks to turn waste into resources.

The government will develop green technologies and new energy for proactive decarbonization and establish a certification system for green hydrogen and low-carbon hydrogen standards that connects with the Mainland and the rest of the world.

The government will enhance elderly care service capacity and foster a sense of security among the elderly and encourage the elderly to participate in social affairs to promote their social integration into the community. It will further enhance the support measures for cross-boundary elderly care to provide the elderly with more choices and greater convenience.

Also, it will provide targeted support for persons with disabilities as well as their carers and build a thriving disability-inclusive society, harness I&T to enhance employment services, and protect employment rights and foster harmonious labor relations.

“We will continue to provide and enhance inclusive public services, including social welfare, healthcare, education and housing, etc., to offer basic protection to our citizens, with a view to relieving their family burden and improving their quality of life,” said Lee.

The government will promote data-driven proactive support and champion a shift in approach from “reactive response” towards “proactive identification and targeted support” and explore the establishment of a “welfare information sharing e-platform” and promote an institutionalized model of tripartite collaboration among the government, the business sector, and the community in poverty alleviation.

It will also continue to strengthen the child protection system and safeguard children’s well-being, the CE added.

The government will eradicate substandard subdivided units in an orderly manner and press ahead with the Basic Housing Unit regime, with the target of resolving the issue of substandard units in residential buildings by 2030, said Lee.

It will substantially increase public housing supply. Taking into account Light Public Housing, the total public housing production in Hong Kong will reach around 196 000 units from 2026-27 to 2030-31, while the Composite Waiting Time for Subsidised Rental Housing will reduce to less than four years in 2030-31.

Continue to enhance the housing ladder by increasing the supply of subsidized sale flats while refining sale and resale arrangements.

The Urban Renewal Authority will commit at least around HK$40 billion in the next five years for urban renewal initiatives.

The government will develop a sustainable governance system for primary healthcare, establish multi-disciplinary and evidence-based service and referral standards, and enhance the synergized development of the family doctor system across both the public and private sectors. It will bring the number of cumulative beneficiaries of District Health Centres to 1 million in five years and steadily increase resource allocation to primary healthcare programs, with an estimated rise of about 30 percent from the current level by 2030-31.

It will deepen the reform of the public healthcare service subsidization structure, to enhance the protection for “poor, acute, serious, critical” patients on all fronts and make the healthcare system more sustainable. Continue to implement the healthcare service reform.