'Revamp Plan Waiting For More Input From John Lee'

Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday that she is waiting for additional input from her successor John Lee on her government restructuring proposal before moving forward with the overhaul.

The chief executive-elect earlier signalled his support for Lam's suggestions, which include setting up a new bureau to oversee culture, sports and tourism, splitting the Transport and Housing Bureau into two, and turning the Home Affairs Bureau into one looking after youth and district affairs.

"The government reorganisation plan that we are seeking approval from the Legislative Council will still be based on having three major secretaries and 15 policy bureaux. But we are waiting for further views from the chief executive-elect. As of today, I don't know how the government structure would look like exactly after July 1, so we haven't provided any documents to the Legislative Council and its relevant panels yet," she said ahead of her weekly Executive Council meeting.

Lam said she has told Lee that they have a tight schedule.

She said she hopes the Executive Council can go through the package next week before it's discussed by lawmakers.

"If we can delay it a bit slightly for a more comprehensive plan, I still see it as feasible. I will let the CE-elect inform me on how we should go about with the timetable," she said.

"We know that this Legislative Council will support the Hong Kong government. Back in January, we have outlined the detailed proposal, each of the secretaries has briefed Legco panels on, for example, why we need the culture and sports bureau, and there have been discussions in society for some time to forge a consensus. If we need to compress the procedure to finish it within a shorter time, we are quite confident that we can achieve this."

But Lam believes that her successor will not wait until the revamp is endorsed by Legco to form his cabinet.

On Covid-19, the chief executive said the government will have to learn from mainland authorities whether achieving zero local infections here is still key to the resumption of quarantine-free travel, referring to talks held last year between mainland officials and a delegation led by Lee, who was chief secretary at the time, over the conditions for restarting border crossing.

"The first thing we need to do if it happens within my term, or John has to do if it happens within the beginning of his term, is to engage with mainland authorities and to understand whether what we have discussed last September to December still stand as the prerequisites for the resumption of travel," she said.

Lam said the second phase of easing social distancing measures will take effect as planned on May 19, which include allowing bars to reopen, extending dine-in hours at restaurants and dropping the mask-wearing rule for indoor exercising.

Asked if the government would relax the remaining Covid rules ahead of schedule, the CE said her administration would have to wait and see if there's room to do so.

Lam also says she's personally inclined to allow people celebrate the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland "in a more relaxed way".