DOCSLIB.ORG

The Judge Over Your Shoulders – a Guide to Judicial Review for Administrators

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
The Judge Over Your Shoulders – a Guide to Judicial Review for Administrators The Judge Over Your Shoulder A Guide To Judicial Review For Administrators (Third Edition) Editorial Board General Editors: Christina Cheung, JP Herbert Li Leona Cheung Consultant Editor: Professor Christopher Forsyth Contributing Editors: Tessa Chan Venus Cheung Ken Ip Aaron Lam Patricia Lam Alyssa Lau Carmen Li Edith Tam Evelyn Tsao Alan Wong Disclaimer: This publication presents legal principles which are derived mainly from the current case law. The views and opinions expressed in the publication should not be regarded as the Department of Justice's legal advice or position. The law develops and the understanding of it may change from time to time. No responsibility can be accepted by the Department of Justice for any errors and omissions contained in it or for any loss or damage however arising from the use of, or reliance on, its contents. Copyright in this publication is vested in the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Copyright © 2019 The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Printed by the Government Logistics Department Foreword With a greater awareness of rights and liberty among the public, Government decisions and actions are subject to more vigilant judicial scrutiny. The proper use of judicial review serves to buttress the rule of law and provides an essential foundation to good governance of administrators. Judicial review enables individuals to seek redress from the Court against public bodies to ensure that the exercise of public functions is in accordance with the law and is subject to necessary checks and balances. Judicial review is an integral part of the regime for upholding the rule of law in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government fully respects individuals’ right to apply for judicial review. Thus, the increasing number of judicial review applications made to the Court of First Instance in recent years should be viewed in a positive light and that it is also a reflection of community’s confidence in our independent judicial system and in turn, the rule of law in Hong Kong. Judicial review remains an established and vital feature of our legal system to ensure that governmental decisions and actions meet the legal requirements on lawfulness, rationality, procedural fairness and compatibility with safeguards on fundamental rights, and provide suitable legal redress where appropriate. It should however be appreciated that judicial review serves to determine the legality of actions of the public authorities as opposed to the merits of policies involving political, economic, social arguments or the like, which the Court is not concerned with and are for the Government to resolve. It is therefore of particular importance that administrators are well-versed with the fundamentals of judicial review and remain vigilant in observing the relevant legal principles when discharging their duties and responsibilities. To this end, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the third edition of “The Judge Over Your Shoulder – A Guide to Judicial Review for Administrators”. In line with the Government’s commitment to openness and transparency, this third edition of the Guide will be made accessible to not just Government officials, but the general public for the first time. It will be uploaded to the website of the Department of Justice so as to facilitate better understanding of the principles relating to good governance and administration. It is hoped that the Guide will serve as a useful general reference for not just Government officials, but anyone who wishes to have a better understanding of judicial review, which is undeniably an important part of the Hong Kong legal system. Foreword With a greater awareness of rights and liberty among the public, Government decisions and actions are subject to more vigilant judicial scrutiny. The proper use of judicial review serves to buttress the rule of law and provides an essential foundation to good governance of administrators. Judicial review enables individuals to seek redress from the Court against public bodies to ensure that the exercise of public functions is in accordance with the law and is subject to necessary checks and balances. Judicial review is an integral part of the regime for upholding the rule of law in Hong Kong and the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government fully respects individuals’ right to apply for judicial review. Thus, the increasing number of judicial review applications made to the Court of First Instance in recent years should be viewed in a positive light and that it is also a reflection of community’s confidence in our independent judicial system and in turn, the rule of law in Hong Kong. Judicial review remains an established and vital feature of our legal system to ensure that governmental decisions and actions meet the legal requirements on lawfulness, rationality, procedural fairness and compatibility with safeguards on fundamental rights, and provide suitable legal redress where appropriate. It should however be appreciated that judicial review serves to determine the legality of actions of the public authorities as opposed to the merits of policies involving political, economic, social arguments or the like, which the Court is not concerned with and are for the Government to resolve. It is therefore of particular importance that administrators are well-versed with the fundamentals of judicial review and remain vigilant in observing the relevant legal principles when discharging their duties and responsibilities. To this end, it gives me great pleasure to introduce the third edition of “The Judge Over Your Shoulder – A Guide to Judicial Review for Administrators”. In line with the Government’s commitment to openness and transparency, this third edition of the Guide will be made accessible to not just Government officials, but the general public for the first time. It will be uploaded to the website of the Department of Justice so as to facilitate better understanding of the principles relating to good governance and administration. It is hoped that the Guide will serve as a useful general reference for not just Government officials, but anyone who wishes to have a better understanding of judicial review, which is undeniably an important part of the Hong Kong legal system. As with the previous two editions, the third edition of this Guide mainly serves to assist Government officials who are responsible for making decisions affecting the public in understanding the basics of judicial review. It provides an update to the rapid development of the law on judicial review in recent years. In particular, a new chapter “Is judicial review available” is added and a flowchart illustrating the process of judicial review is included in one of the Annexes to facilitate a better understanding of the practical procedures involved in an application for judicial review. Last but not least, I must express my warmest gratitude to Professor Christopher Forsyth, Emeritus Sir David Williams Professor of Public Law, University of Cambridge, and a long-time friend of this department. His helpful review of the contents and the very constructive comments he has given guided us to complete this edition. I am also most grateful for the hard work and dedication of our in-house editorial team in contributing to this edition. Ms Teresa Cheng, GBS, SC, JP Secretary for Justice May 2019 CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 THE NATURE OF JUDICIAL REVIEW .......................................................................................... 1 1.2 THE FOUNDATIONS OF JUDICIAL REVIEW ................................................................................ 2 1.3 REVIEW AND APPEAL ............................................................................................................... 2 1.4 JUDICIAL REVIEW AND GOOD GOVERNANCE .......................................................................... 3 1.5 ROLE OF THE COURT ................................................................................................................ 4 1.6 GROUNDS FOR JUDICIAL REVIEW: AN OVERVIEW ................................................................... 4 2. IS JUDICIAL REVIEW AVAILABLE ...................................................................................................... 6 2.1 PROCEDURAL EXCLUSIVITY ...................................................................................................... 6 2.2 TIMING ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.3 SUBJECT MATTER OF CHALLENGE ............................................................................................ 8 2.4 ALTERNATIVE REMEDY ...........................................................................................................11 2.5 OUSTER CLAUSE .....................................................................................................................12 2.6 STANDING OF APPLICANT ......................................................................................................13 3. ILLEGALITY ..................................................................................................................................
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Views on Women in the Cities of Asia: Migration and Urban Adaptation, James T
    INFORMATION TO USERS This reproduction was made from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced tec lino logy has been used to photograph and reproduce this document, the quality of the reproduction is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help clarify markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1. The sign or “target" for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “ Missing Pagets)” . If it was possible to obtain the missing pagets) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure complete continuity. 2 . When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark, it is an indication of either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, duplicate copy, or copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed. For blurred pages, a good image o f the page can be found in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted, a target note will appear listing the pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photographed, a definite method of “sectioning” the material has been followed. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner o f a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete.
    [Show full text]
  • Towards 2025: Strategy and Action Plan
    TOWARDS 2025 Strategy and Action Plan to Prevent and Control Non-communicable Diseases in Hong Kong This publication has been translated into Chinese. If there is any inconsistency or ambiguity between the English version and the Chinese version, the English version shall prevail. The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China Published in May 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS FOREWORD ii PREFACE iv ABBREVIATIONS vi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY viii 1 BACKGROUND 1.1 Non-communicable diseases: a global and local health challenge 1 1.2 Global developments in prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 2 1.3 Local developments in prevention and control of non-communicable diseases 5 2 LOCAL SITUATION ANALYSIS 2.1 Overview of data availability and sources for non-communicable disease surveillance 7 2.2 Non-communicable disease status of local population 8 2.3 Overview of Hong Kong situation vis-a-vis World Health Organization’s “best buys” and other 9 recommended interventions for tackling key risk factors for non-communicable diseases 3 LOCAL STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN FOR NON-COMMUNICABLE DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL 3.1 Goal and objectives 17 3.2 Scope 17 3.3 Accountability framework 18 3.4 Overarching principles and approaches 19 3.5 Key priority action areas 21 3.6 Factsheets of non-communicable disease targets, indicators and multisectoral actions 22 3.7 Future non-communicable disease surveillance 23 Target 1 Reduce premature mortality from NCD 28 Target 2 Reduce harmful use of alcohol 38 Target 3 Reduce physical inactivity
    [Show full text]
  • Promoting Health in Hong Kong : a Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases
    Hong Kong: A Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區 中華人民共和國香港特別行政區 Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China Promoting Health in Hong Kong : A Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases i Contents Foreword by Dr York YN CHOW, Secretary for Food and Health iv Preface by Dr PY LAM, Director of Health vi Executive Summary viii 1. Introduction 1 To Make a Difference 4 2. Conceptual Basis for Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases 5 Public Health Perspective 7 Health Determinant 8 Cluster of Risk Factor 9 Life-course Approach 11 Preventive Strategy 12 Population-wide versus Individual-based Approach 17 Health Disparity 20 Health Literacy and Social Marketing 21 Setting Health Priority 22 3. Global Perspective on Non-communicable Disease Prevention and Control 23 The Neglected Epidemic 24 International Experience 28 ii 4. Overview of Local Situation 37 General Well-being 39 Prevalent Health Risk and Behaviour 41 Prevalence of Chronic Health Condition 43 Major Disease Killer 45 Use of Hospital and Clinic Service 48 Health Expenditure 51 Health Disparity 53 Initiatives in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention 54 5. Strategic Framework 57 Principle 59 Scope 59 Vision 62 Goal 62 Strategic Direction 63 6. Key Elements for Implementation 65 Partnership 66 Environment 67 Outcome-focused 68 Population-based Intervention 68 Life-course Approach 69 Empowerment 70 7. Making It Happen 71 Call for Support 74 References 75 iii Foreword The rapid increase in the number of people suffering from non­ communicable diseases (NCD) presents one of the biggest challenges to the healthcare systems worldwide.
    [Show full text]
  • Titles of Theses
    Titles of Theses 2019 Department/Discipline Thesis Title Degree Author Details Anaesthesiology The evaluation of the contributory roles of anaesthesia and neuroinflammation to Doctor of Philosophy Huang, Chunxia http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044019385203414 the development of postoperative cognitive dysfunction Anaesthesiology Analgesic effects of propofol on acute postoperative pain and the underlying Doctor of Philosophy Qiu, Qiu http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044091304403414 mechanisms Anaesthesiology Intrathecal administration of RhoA and ROCK inhibitors reduces inflammatory Master of Philosophy Lee, Un-man http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044019484203414 hyperalgesia in DLC2-deficient mice Applied English Studies Evaluative that patterns : a corpus-based study of that-clauses in academic Doctor of Philosophy Kim Chanhee http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044058183103414 writing Applied English Studies Student engagement with feedback on second language writing : case studies on Doctor of Philosophy Zhang, Zhe http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044058176803414 four English majors in two Chinese universities Architecture Shanhua monastery : temple architecture and esoteric Buddhist rituals in Doctor of Philosophy Xu, Zhu http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044040572203414 medieval China Architecture An alternative path architect Leon Hoa and his career Doctor of Philosophy Luo, Zhi http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044058183403414 Architecture Time, space and people : the transformation of rural built environment in the Doctor of Philosophy Lin, Xiaoyu http://hub.hku.hk/mmsid/991044058180503414
    [Show full text]
  • Department of Health Annual Report 2010/2011
    Annual Departmental Report by Dr Constance H.Y. CHAN, JP Director of Health Department of Health Annual Report 2010/11 i FOREWORD It is my pleasure to present this 2010/11 Annual Report of the Department of Health which reviews the work delivered by our Department during that year and summarises the achievements of the service units in the Department. Hong Kong is under the continuous threat of non-communicable diseases and we have accorded high priority to promoting healthy lifestyles. Further to the launching of the document ‘Promoting Health in Hong Kong: A Strategic Framework for Prevention and Control of Non- communicable Diseases’, the ‘Action Plan to Promote Healthy Diet and Physical Participation in Hong Kong’ was published in 2010. Tobacco control was also strengthened with extension of smoking ban to over 120 open-air public transport facilities on 1 December 2010. On communicable diseases, the challenge of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 virus (i.e. human swine influenza virus) that started in 2009 reminded us to maintain vigilance for emerging and re-emerging diseases. With the concerted efforts of colleagues and our partners, the impact of the human swine influenza epidemic had been much reduced and the disease was removed from the list of statutory notifiable infectious diseases on 8 October 2010. The Government published the ‘Primary Care Development Strategy Document’ in 2010, setting out the benefits of good primary care and the major strategies and pathways of action that will help to deliver high quality primary care in Hong Kong. To be in line with the Government’s primary care development strategy, our Department established the Primary Care Office in the same year to support and co-ordinate the development of primary care, and implement primary care development strategies and actions.
    [Show full text]
  • Chinese New Immigrant Mothers' Perception About Adult-Onset Non
    Health Promotion International, Vol. 30 No. 4 # The Author (2014). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. doi:10.1093/heapro/dau029 For Permissions, please email: [email protected] Advance Access published 19 May, 2014 Chinese new immigrant mothers’ perception about adult-onset non-communicable diseases prevention Downloaded from https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/30/4/929/2355707 by guest on 29 September 2021 during childhood LINDA DONG LING WANG1, WENDY WING TAK LAM1, JOSEPH TSZ KEI WU2 and RICHARD FIELDING1* 1Health Behaviour Research Group, Division of Behavioural Health, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong and 2Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong *Corresponding author. E-mail: fi[email protected] SUMMARY Many non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are largely pre- as the primary causes of adult NCDs. Less than half of the ventable via behaviour change and healthy lifestyle, which participants recognized that parents had responsibility for may be best established during childhood. This study helping children establish healthy behaviours from an early sought insights into Chinese new immigrant mothers’ per- age to prevent diseases in later life. Most participants ceptions about adult-onset NCDs prevention during child- expressed helplessness about chronic diseases prevention hood. Twenty-three semi-structured interviews were carried due to lack of knowledge of prevention, being perceived as out with new immigrant mothers from mainland China beyond individual control. Many participants experienced who had at least one child aged 14 years or younger living barriers to seeking health information, the most common in Hong Kong.
    [Show full text]
  • Second Report of HKSAR Under the Convention on the Rights of the Child
    Combined Third and Fourth Reports of the People’s Republic of China under the Convention on the Rights of the Child – Part Two: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Second Report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Convention on the Rights of the Child Content Second report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Convention on the Rights of the Child Paragraph Introduction Part I General Profile of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region General political structure 3 General legal framework within which 10 human rights are protected Information and publicity 13 Part II Implementation of the Convention in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chapter I General measures of implementation A. Concluding observations – follow up Article 4 – Implementation of rights 17 Articles 42 and 44 – Dissemination of 50 the Convention and reporting B. Comprehensive programmes – 61 monitoring C. Allocation of budgetary and other 71 resources D. Statistical data 72 E. Factors and difficulties 73 Chapter II Definition of “the child” A. Updates and developments 80 B. Statistical data 90 - i - Paragraph Chapter III General principles A. Concluding observations – follow up Article 2 – Non-discrimination 92 Article 3 – Best interests of the child 105 Article 12 – Respect for views of the 111 child B. Comprehensive programmes – monitoring Article 2 – Non-discrimination 126 Article 6 – Right to life, survival and 135 development C. Allocation of budgetary and other 143 resources D. Statistical data Article 6 – Right to life, survival and 144 development Article 12 – Respect for views of the 145 child E. Factors and difficulties 146 Chapter IV Civil rights and freedoms A.
    [Show full text]
  • Free Market, and Confucian Filial Piety: Ageing Policy, Welfare Governance and Aged Care in Hong Kong
    FREE MARKET, AND CONFUCIAN FILIAL PIETY: AGEING POLICY, WELFARE GOVERNANCE AND AGED CARE IN HONG KONG by Wai Lim Wong A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy School of Social Sciences and International Studies University of New South Wales 2012 Abstract This thesis aims to explain the shaping of the aged care policy in Hong Kong from 1948 to 2007. The British Colonial government borrowed the concept of community care from the United Kingdom in 1973 and ageing-in-place in 1994 to support the development of its ageing policy. Prior to 1973 provision was mainly family and society-based. Between 1997 and 2007, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government continued to support policies associated with the colonial government but also emphasised the centrality of family support drawing on Confucian filial piety. The problem under investigation is the contradiction implicit in Hong Kong’s social care policy for older people. The focus on Confucian filial piety and reliance on family care means that there is little provision of care in the community by the government. This thesis argues that the aged care policy in Hong Kong is more than a policy about material provision and that it engages with Hong Kong Chinese cultural identity and promotes a narrative that normalizes family care as a duty and responsibility. The shortage of home places, together with government subsidies for some of the residents and providers, has greatly encouraged the development of private aged-care. The quality of this sector is very varied. This thesis employs a three-stage analysis - which covers policy papers, the process of policymaking and the process of implementation.
    [Show full text]
  • Review on Trauma Care in Hong Kong Abstract Background Imedpub Journals
    Review Article iMedPub Journals Journal of Emergency and Trauma Care 2016 http://www.imedpub.com/ Vol.1 No.1:2 Review on Trauma Care in Hong Kong Diane Tai Hei-Yan Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong Corresponding author: Diane Tai Hei-yan, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong, Tel: (852) 29582162; E-mail: [email protected] Rec Date: November 09, 2016; Acc Date: December 01, 2016; Pub Date: December 10, 2016 Citation: Hei-Yan DT. Review on trauma care in Hong Kong. J Emerg Trauma Care 2016; 1:2 were unsatisfactory. Kam et al. reported in 1998 that 94 significantly injured patients over a 24-month period, who Abstract were managed by the Hospital Trauma Team in one general hospital, had a mortality rate of 39%, and up to 24% of these Trauma is the third leading cause of death worldwide and deaths were potentially preventable [5]. The probable causes is the fifth leading cause of death categorized as "injury, for the potentially preventable deaths include delay owing to poisoning and certain other consequences of external inter-hospital transfer, delay in activation of the trauma team, causes" by the Department of Health in Hong Kong in unidentified intra-peritoneal haemorrhage, failure to control 2015. The annual incidence of trauma increased haemorrhage and delayed or inadequate definitive operation progressively in the 1970s, reached a peak in the Figure 1. mid-1980s, and then fell despite the population growth. The population of Hong Kong is 7.32 million in 2015, with an area of 1098 kilometer square. All public hospitals in Hong Kong are managed by an independent body called the hospital authority (HA).
    [Show full text]
  • Social Relationships and Community End of Life Care in Hong Kong by Wing-Sun Chan
    Social Relationships and Community End of Life Care in Hong Kong by Wing-sun Chan A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Sociology and Criminology University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2020 by Wing-sun Chan Abstract In Hong Kong, like other modern societies, death and dying are identified as a crucial public health issue. Given developments in the Hong Kong healthcare system, some of the work of caring for dying people and their families has shifted to cross- disciplinary collaboration in community settings. This trend corresponds with a growing policy and practice emphasis on social relationships in non-medical forms of community-based care for dying people and their families. In the present study, abductive grounded theory methodology was used to examine the complex dynamics and mechanisms involved in social relationships between dying people (and their families) and volunteers and professionals in community-based social service agencies. The goal was to contribute to knowledge about how social relationships influence the experiences of dying people and their families, and to explore and engage theoretically with the concept of social capital as a dynamic, relational process. Relationships between social service agency staff and medical professionals were also explored. Through contacts with two community-based end-of-life (EOL) service agencies in Hong Kong, qualitative data were collected using 14 in-depth interviews with practitioners and 2 service users. The findings were used to develop a clear and parsimonious three-stage model of relational social capital development.
    [Show full text]
  • HREC) Since April 2015
    Research Projects Approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC) since April 2015 HREC Ethical Approval Period Name of Principal Project Title Department No. Investigator Start Date End Date Bilateral (Hong Kong): Experiential learning in legal education (ELLE): An investigation Department of Professional Legal EA031010 08/10/2010 31/08/2024 Mr WSW Chow into the variation of learning and construction of identity Education Rethinking Professionalism in Three Asian Common Law Jurisdictions: A Comparative EA340514 and Empirical Study of Conflicts of Interest Issues Encountered by Lawyers in Hong Kong 10/06/2014 31/12/2021 Mr J Lee Department of Law and Singapore EA1508026 Perceptions and realizations of linguistic politeness among HKU students 28/08/2015 27/08/2022 Mr K Pat Centre for Applied English Studies Start from the beginning - Chinese supporting scheme for non-Chinese speaking students EA1512011 11/01/2016 31/08/2023 Dr EKY Loh Faculty of Education in kindergartens EA1604035 Learning and assessment for digital citizenship 17/05/2016 31/12/2021 Professor NWY Law Faculty of Education EA1606028 Civics teaching in 'Young' and 'Old' democracies and student learning outcomes 23/06/2016 31/12/2021 Dr F Reichert Faculty of Education The effectiveness of prayer/chanting/meditation to ameliorate the influence of negative EA1606043 07/07/2016 01/08/2022 Ven HH Sik Centre of Buddhist Studies events: A multimodal neuroimaging study EA1608012 Developing E-Learning Resources for Speech & Hearing Sciences 23/08/2016 31/08/2025 Dr AMY Wong Faculty of Education Centre for the Enhancement of Teaching EA1608028 Feeding Feedback Forward with Formative Tests 19/09/2016 18/09/2024 Dr LK Fryer and Learning Drawing inferences about systemic changes and differences in student learning and school EA1611015 24/11/2016 31/12/2021 Dr F Reichert Faculty of Education effectiveness using large-scale educational data Page 1 HREC Ethical Approval Period Name of Principal Project Title Department No.
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Departmental Report
    Annual Departmental Report by Dr Constance H.Y. CHAN, JP Director of Health Department of Health Annual Report 2012/13 i FOREWORD I am delighted to present this 2012/13 Annual Report of the Department of Health, which summarises our work and achievements during that year. This report documented the combined efforts of all service units in the Department towards the shared goal of promoting public health in Hong Kong. As an organisation aspired to be an international renowned public health authority, the Department attaches great importance to fostering partnership with international health agencies. In April 2012, the Tobacco Control Office of the Department was designated by the World Health Organization (WHO) to set up the WHO Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence. It is the first of its kind in the theme of smoking cessation and it provides support to WHO and in particular the Western Pacific Region in various initiatives on smoking cessation and treatment of tobacco dependence. In April 2012, the Chinese Medicine Division of the Department of Health was designated by WHO as the Collaborating Centre for Traditional Medicine in Hong Kong. It is the first of its kind in the world as the Centre which focuses on assisting the WHO to formulate policies and strategies as well as setting regulatory standards for traditional medicine. The establishment of these two WHO Collaborating Centres further enhanced our collaboration with WHO and contribution in health issues in the region. To better prepare for handling major outbreaks of communicable diseases in Hong Kong, the Department continued its efforts in enhancing the capacity through updating contingency plans, and conducting exercises and drills.
    [Show full text]