Home Affairs Department
| 民政事務總署 | |
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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1968 |
| Superseding agency | |
| Headquarters | 29/F, Southorn Centre, 130 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai, Hong Kong |
| Employees | 1,823 (March 2008) [1] |
| Annual budget | 1,547.3 m HKD (2008-09) [2] |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent agency | Home Affairs Bureau |
| Website | www.had.gov.hk |
| Home Affairs Department | |||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 民政事務總署 | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Transcriptions | |
|---|---|
| Yue: Cantonese | |
| Yale Romanization | Màhnjing Sihmouh Júngchyúh |
| Jyutping | Man4zing3 Si6mou6 Zung2cyu5 |
The Home Affairs Department (HAD, Chinese: 民政事務總署) is an executive agency in the government of Hong Kong responsible for internal affairs of the territory. It reports to the Home Affairs Bureau, headed by the Secretary for Home Affairs.
The Department is responsible for the District Administration Scheme, community building and community involvement activities, minor environmental improvement projects and minor local public works, and the licensing of hotels and guesthouses, bedspace apartments and clubs. It promotes the concept of effective building management and works closely with other government departments to consistently improve the standard of building management in Hong Kong. It monitors the provision of new arrival services and identifies measures to meet the needs of new arrivals. It also disseminates information relating to and, where necessary, promotes the public's understanding of major government policies, strategies and development plans; and collects and assesses public opinion on relevant issues affecting the community. These responsibilities are discharged primarily through the 18 district offices covering the whole of Hong Kong.
For a long time the department was the only channel of communication between the people and the government. It used to be headed by the Registrar General, who was also called the 'Protector of the Chinese'. Fung-Chi Au (traditional Chinese: 區鳳墀; simplified Chinese: 区凤墀; pinyin: Ōu Fèngchí; Jyutping: au1 fung6 ci4; 1847-1914), who was the teacher of Chinese literature for Sun Yat-sen, was the Secretary of the Department of Chinese Affairs (traditional Chinese: 華民政務司署總書記; simplified Chinese: 华民政务司署总书记; pinyin: Huámínzhèngwù Sīshǔzǒngshūji; Jyutping: waa4 man4 zing3 mou6 si1 zung2 syu1 gei3). In 1913 the department was called the Secretariat for Chinese Affairs. It was renamed the Home Affairs Department in 1971 because,according to the government, the department dealt not only with matters relating to the Chinese. The first Secretary for Home Affairs was Donald Luddington.
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Wikipedia