IIAC discusses Measures to Support Local IT Industry

The Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, Mr Henry Tang, today (September 26) chaired his first meeting of the Information Infrastructure Advisory Committee (IIAC) to discuss with members measures to promote development of the local Information Technology (IT) industry.

A spokesman for the Commerce, Industry and Technology Bureau said that the IT industry was an important segment of the economy, and the Government is committed to supporting its development under our Digital 21 IT Strategy.

"Our objective is to drive Hong Kong's development as an information hub in Asia. We have developed specific policy tools and support measures ranging from expanding business opportunities, improving quality of service and building capability, financial and infrastructural support to the provision of IT manpower.

"Under the current economic situation, the Government intends to undertake new initiatives to support the further development of the industry. Our new initiatives can be broadly classified into four areas, namely, tapping Mainland market, exploiting Government software and IT systems to create business opportunities for the industry, further improving quality of service and building capability and infrastructural support," the spokesman said.

In this regard, the committee agreed to set up a working group comprising IIAC members, co-opted industry experts, etc. to discuss in detail and advise the Government on how to drive IT and e-commerce development in Hong Kong, and to support the further growth of the local IT industry.

The working group will provide a focused forum to examine how to develop and enhance the infrastructure to facilitate IT and e-commerce development, and promote greater adoption of IT and e-commerce among SMEs. It will also advise the IIAC on measures to support the further development of Hong Kong's IT industry

At today's meeting, members were also briefed on the public consultation in respect of the Interoperability Framework (IF) for e-government. The IF is a set of technical specifications to facilitate the interoperability among systems used within the Government, and between Government systems and external systems where interaction is required.

Members noted that public responses were generally positive to Government's proposal to put in place such framework, as the new initiative would facilitate more efficient e-business collaboration between public and private sectors.

During the meeting, members were also briefed on the proposed adoption of a Common Look and Feel (CLF) for Government web sites. Currently, about 200 web sites and portals are hosted by Government bureaux and departments, while another 60 by Government related organisations. These sites now have different design in respect of how they look and how they organise information for presentation.

Under the new proposal, these websites will be revamped to adopt the CLF designs in the coming two to three years by phases, so as to project a more consistent online brand image of the Government and to improve the navigability and usability of these websites.

Chaired by the Secretary for Commerce, Industry and Technology, the IIAC is an advisory body established since August 1998 to advise the Government on how to drive IT development in Hong Kong. The committee comprises three other official members and 15 unofficial members appointed by the Chief Executive from the IT and business sectors and the academic field.

Thursday, September 26, 2002

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