Speech by Mr K H Lau, Director of Information Technology Services at the Hong Kong Computer Society Council Meeting on 25 - 2 - 1999

Chairman, Council Members,

I am very pleased to be given the opportunity this evening to talk about the new agenda and future direction of the Information Technology Services Department (ITSD) to the Council of the Hong Kong Computer Society. It is public knowledge that the Society has been an active force in promoting IT in Hong Kong.

The role of ITSD and the scope of its responsibilities have been expanded following the establishment of the Information Technology and Broadcasting Bureau (ITBB) in April 1998. The mission of ITSD now is to improve services to the community by enabling government bodies to make the best use of IT; and to promote the use of IT in the community.

In his 1997 Policy Address, the Chief Executive stated his vision to make Hong Kong a leader, not a follower, in the information world of tomorrow. In his 1998 Policy Address, the Chief Executive further pointed out the importance of IT in helping us to retain our competitive edge and to drive our overall economic expansion.

To achieve the IT vision for the HKSAR, ITBB published in November 1998 the "Digital 21" IT Strategy which consists of 18 key initiatives. ITSD is involved in most of these initiatives which require ITSD to adopt a new role very different from the one we used to play.

Fulfilling the new role successfully requires a transformation and expansion of ITSD's current work and responsibilities. ITSD is no longer concerned solely with providing IT services within Government, but with enhancing and supporting the beneficial use of IT throughout the HKSAR. We have to establish a whole new range of working relationships and partnerships, in the private as well as the public sectors.

ITSD's future work will comprise three programme areas, namely, the Use of IT in Government, IT Infrastructure and Standards, and IT in the Community.

In the Use of IT in Government programme area, we will continue to help government bodies arrange the design and delivery of IT solutions, but increasingly the work itself will be outsourced to the private sector. An outsourcing strategy has been prepared. The first contract for outsourcing application maintenance activities currently performed in-house is planned to come into effect in the first quarter of 2000. By 2001, two-thirds of all new IT projects in Government will be outsourced. We are also undertaking various initiatives to transform the working relationships with Government departments and bureaux. Departments and bureaux will increasingly take up the primary responsibility for making the best use of IT in their service areas. ITSD will be helping them to develop their knowledge and capacity in the application of IT.

In the IT Infrastructure and Standards programme area, we are developing an information infrastructure with an open common interface through which the Government, business and the general public can interact easily and securely. We will also seek to introduce common standards which apply to both the public and private sectors. As you know, we have put out a tender for a service contract for the implementation of the 1st phase of the Electronic Service Delivery (ESD) scheme. The ESD infrastructure will provide an open common interface in both Chinese and English as well as with open market-based standards for easy and secure electronic transactions.

For the IT in the Community programme area, we are developing a programme to promote the wider use of IT in the community. We will work with Government departments and bureaux, the industry, professional bodies and other community organisations in various projects to -

• promote IT awareness, skills, and competence throughout the community;
• encourage the general public to engage in electronic transactions with Government through the ESD scheme;
• encourage the private sector to engage in electronic commerce;
• develop HK into an Internet content hub in the Asia Pacific Region;
• establish recognition and award schemes for excellence in the use of IT; and
• promote the development of the local IT industry and business.

We need the support of professional bodies like the Hong Kong Computer Society in achieving the IT vision for the HKSAR. Your ideas, inspiration, and project execution capability will set an example for the industry at large. The IT Strategy is important to us all, in that we will be enhancing and promoting Hong Kong's information infrastructure and services so as to make Hong Kong a leading digital city in the globally connected world of the 21st century. Your contributions will be crucial to the success of Hong Kong.

Thank you.